NBA Power Rankings Week 19: LA Clippers get aggressive on buyout market
By Phil Watson
89. . 48-8. Previous: . Milwaukee Bucks. 1. team
Last week: Won at Detroit 126-106, beat Philadelphia 119-98
This week: Monday at Washington, Tuesday at Toronto, Friday vs. Oklahoma City
Two games, two 20-point wins for the Milwaukee Bucks, who improved to an NBA best 48-8 and remain on pace for what would be the NBA’s third 70-win regular season. The Bucks lost two of their first four games and three of their first nine, going a ridiculous 42-5 since. Milwaukee has yet to lose consecutive games this season.
The Bucks made one addition following the trade deadline, waiving former Phoenix lottery pick Dragan Bender to add veteran stretch 4 Marvin Williams, who has scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting in his first three appearances for the club. Williams is only 2-of-7 from long range with nine rebounds and four steals, logging 48 minutes so far.
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In Saturday’s blowout victory over the 76ers, the Bucks got 56 points and 26 rebounds from All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton while holding Philadelphia to 35 percent shooting. They broke open a competitive game in the third quarter, outscoring the Sixers 37-23, leading by as much as 25 before entering the final period up 93-73.
Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, played 29 minutes on Saturday and finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists, hitting 12-of-17 from the floor and 2-of-5 from 3-point range. In the two wins, the Greek Freak scored 64 points in just 61 minutes on 25-of-40 shooting to go with 33 boards, 12 dimes, three steals and two blocks.
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Antetokounmpo is now averaging 35.0 points per 36 minutes, which would be the third-highest mark in NBA history, per Basketball-Reference.com, behind Wilt Chamberlain‘s 37.4 in 1961-62 (when he averaged 50.4 points per game) and James Harden, who put up 35.4 points per 36 last season for the Rockets.