By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Milwaukee Bucks rallied past the Miami Heat, 120-113, in Fiserv Forum on NBA Sundays.
Fueling a fourth straight win in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a 23-point, 16-rebound double-double alongside seven assists, one steal, and one block.
Lasting nearly 32 minutes, significantly higher than his previous showings under a minute restriction, the Freak fell shy of going to the line for a free throw for the first time since last February.
“I didn’t notice it,” he mentioned during the postgame press conference, “Sometimes I am going to get to the line, sometimes I’m not, but I don’t depend on that.”
On the losing end against the Greek superstar, Serbian Nikola Jovic was forced to an early exit with a fracture on the second metacarpal of the right hand. He previously paired seven points with two rebounds.
“It happened in the first quarter. I kind of just bumped into [Kyle] Kuzma. I’m not sure exactly what happened. I just felt it hurting a lot,” he described the setback after Sunday’s game, “It’s broken.”
A recovery timetable was not immediately set by the Heat.
“I have been through some tough injuries before. My mom always says that some things happen for a reason. Who knows why this happened today? I’ll figure it out,” added Jovic.
Swedish teammate Pelle Larsson did not play.
Early exit for Fontecchio
In addition to the Serbian forward, Italian forward Simone Fontecchio hurt his right hand in the second quarter of a meeting between the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, after logging two points, one assist, and one rebound in State Farm Arena. Punching in a sixth straight win, his side prevailed, 148-143.
“We have a really unselfish group that just wants to win and that’s the reason why they played on a high level like that, even before I got here,” noted fellow European reserve, German Dennis Schroder after tallying 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and one steal. Swedish Bobi Klintman was on a G League assignment with the Motor City Cruise.
For the hosts, French Zaccharie Risacher went for 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Off the bench, Swiss Clint Capela registered eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Czech Vit Krejci (lumbar fracture) remained sidelined.