Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to another crucial win against an Eastern Conference contender. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 44 to lead Bucks past Nets

By Adam Stites | Last updated 3/31/22

Two days after scoring 40 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to another crucial win against an Eastern Conference contender Thursday night when he finished with 44 points and 14 rebounds in a 120-119 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Milwaukee trailed by nine with less than four minutes left in regulation against Brooklyn, but the Bucks battled back and Antetokounmpo tied the game with 18 seconds left when he drilled a step-back three-pointer.

The moment Giannis became the Bucks All-Time Scoring Leader!!

Congratulations @Giannis_An34!! pic.twitter.com/a7w4tHK8Eb
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 1, 2022

The shot sent the game to overtime, and it pushed Antetokounmpo ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the Bucks franchise record for points.

In overtime, Kevin Durant gave the Nets a one-point lead with 8.7 seconds left when he hit three free throws, but Antetokounmpo hit a pair of free throws on the other end with 3.0 seconds left to seal the win for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo finished 15-of-19 from the free-throw line and is shooting 72.3 percent from the line this season. Last year, he made 68.5 percent of his free throws in the regular season and 58.7 percent in the playoffs.

The Bucks are now just a half-game behind the Miami Heat for first place in the Eastern Conference.

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