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Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in the headlines a lot lately, but he didn’t let that affect his performance when the Miami Heat beat the Sacramento Kings 114-108.
The Greek superstar has had his problems since moving to Miami, but individually, he has been producing very good numbers.
That was once again the case on Sunday, when he scored 29 points and recorded 14 rebounds, but Kings head coach Doug Christie didn’t seem too happy after the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks, 1 pick swap and 1 second-rounder.
Despite the Miami Heat’s struggles, Antetokounmpo has scored 20 or more points in all but one of the 10 games he has played this season.
Doc Rivers can question his basketball IQ all he wants, but the fact of the matter is that the 31-year-old is one of the best players in the game.
Christie was well aware of Antetokounmpo’s strengths ahead of the game against the Heat, so he decided to allow him to have contested shots from mid-range in order to protect the Kings from other areas.
However, the Greek Freak made multiple mid-range shots, making Christie’s tactics look a bit silly in the end.
The Kings’ head coach was clearly disappointed after the game, so much so that he aimed a little dig at Antetokounmpo for making shots that will probably miss in the next game.
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He said in his press conference: “Even the shot profile. Shot profile was Giannis shooting a mid-range contested shot. We’re living with that.
“Tonight, he knocked them down. I’ll watch him next game, and he probably won’t.
Giannis vs Kings:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 9, 2026
29 PTS
14 REB
3 AST
2 STL
2 BLK
14-23 FG
Seven straight double-doubles. pic.twitter.com/a7HuSfFa7e
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“So it’s just how it is. I mean, there are some guys there that were shooting 18% from the three-point line. Tonight, they made them. Like, it’s the nature of the beast.
“And that happens when you’re in this league for a long time, when you’re in these little ruts and different things. The things that are supposed to go a certain way usually don’t.”
Just assuming that Antetokounmpo would not hurt the Kings from mid-range shots was probably an error, given how good a player he is.
The former Bucks superstar was incredible on Sunday, and it is slowly looking like things are falling into place for the Miami Heat after a difficult start to the season.
Up next for the Heat is another away game, this time against the Utah Jazz, on Tuesday night. If Antetokounmpo performs in the same way, Miami could come away with another win.