Giannis Antetokounmpo makes MVP case as shorthanded Bucks demolish Pistons 117-89

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also played significant minutes at center Tuesday, put together a monster performance to help his squad grab a key division win over the Detroit Pistons 117-89. While the rebuilding Pistons don’t represent a major threat to the Bucks, the circumstances made Antetokounmpo’s showing more impressive.

Milwaukee was already down Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez for a period of time but the team suffered another critical blow with Khris Middleton testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of the contest. Middleton was clearly the team’s second star, and his absence will be hard to overcome going forward against tougher teams.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Antetokounmpo is second in MVP odds behind Stephen Curry at +650. After recording 28 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four blocks, Antetkounmpo should start seeing more love from bettors in the coming days. Middleton is out indefinitely, and Lopez will be out for some time as well. Holiday’s return is reportedly close, but the point guard won’t eat too much into Antetokounmpo’s scoring. This could be the start of a big stretch for the Greek Freak in terms of MVP odds.

The Bucks have seven tough games coming up, including two contests against the Knicks, a game against the 76ers and a clash with the Lakers. Let’s see if Antetokounmpo can get a bump in MVP odds at the end of this stretch.

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