There were two notable National Basketball Association games played on Thursday. The Milwaukee Bucks beat the San Antonio Spurs 125-121 and the Denver Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors 130-127.
The Bucks/Spurs game was notable because it consisted of a game between the two-time NBA MVP, and the 2021 NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Athens, Greece, versus the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama of Le Chesnay, France. This was a meaningful contest for Wembanyama, as it was his 20th birthday, but at the end of the day it was Antetokounmpo who was the best player on the court. The Greek Freak had a double double, as he had 44 points and 14 rebounds. He was one of two Bucks players with a double-double. The other was all-star point guard Damian Lillard of Oakland, California, who had 25 points and 10 assists. With the win, the Bucks improved to a record of 25 wins and 10 losses, and are in second place in the Eastern Conference, only two games back of the first place Boston Celtics.
The Nuggets meanwhile had a dramatic win of their own against the Warriors. Nikola Jokic of Sombor, Serbia made a dramatic game-winning three-point shot from 39 feet to break a 127-127 deadlock. Like Antetokounmpo and Lillard, Jokic had a double-double as he had 34 points and 10 assists. It was the second buzzer-beater of Jokic’s career. The previous one came on March 14, 2019 in a 100-99 Nuggets win over the Dallas Mavericks. With the win, the Nuggets improve to a record of 25 wins and 11 losses.
