Giannis Antetokounmpo gently tosses the ball off the backboard to HIMSELF with just a second to go to seal his fourth triple-double of the season – as the Bucks star admits he ‘stole one’… but will it count?
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo snagged his fourth triple-double of the season by seemingly missing a rebound on purpose.
In the closing seconds of a 117-111 loss for the Washington Wizards Sunday night, Antetokounmpo scored a rebound after a shot by Washington forward Corey Kispert.
As the clock kept ticking, Giannis dribbled up the court to the Wizards basket, slowing the pace and stopping underneath.
With less than two seconds left, Antetokounmpo looked up at the basket, bounced the ball off the underside of the back wall and caught it on time.
Officials at the arena credited “The Greek Freak” with the rebound, bringing his total to ten and completing his triple-double with 23 points, 13 assists and ten rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo snagged an intentional rebound on Sunday
That rebound was enough for Giannis to record his fourth triple-double of the season
In addition to 23 points and 13 assists, Antetokounmpo could recapture the last board
After the game, Antetokounmpo said he intended to score but admitted he used a bit of cunning to get what he needed.
“I thought about kicking the ball but I feel like in situations like this it’s best to keep the ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “But yeah, I’m just trying to play the game smart and somehow stole one.”
While Antetokounmpo may have ended the night with a triple-double, it’s possible the NBA will void it because he’s absent on purpose.
The league has precedent for this. In 2003, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Davis was down a rebound after a triple-double in a home game against the Utah Jazz.
He shot the ball off his own basket on purpose to get the board. However, the arena’s official scorer did not give credit for the attempt and the league clarified that it would not count.
Just a year later, Atlanta Hawks guard Bob Sura intentionally missed a layup to set up a final rebound while attempting to hit three straight triple-doubles.
He was credited with the rebound at the time, however the league said he would not be credited with the board the next day.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nba/article-11826157/Giannis-Antetokounmpo-throws-ball-backboard-seal-fourth-triple-double.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Giannis Antetokounmpo throws the ball off the board to himself to seal his fourth triple-double
