NBA Finals Preview: Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Los Angeles Lakers

Top-seeded teams Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers finally met each other on the court. Both teams are leading their respective conferences and are expected to clash in the finals. They faced each other with an identical 24-4 record. MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo made sure his team came out on top with a 111-104 win.

The Bucks rampaged in the first half scoring 65 points and leading by 19. The Lakers are never known to succumb to pressure since the days of Kareem-Magic, Shaq-Kobe, and now Davis-James. They came out of halftime full of energy and outscored the Bucks 35-24 in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers kept up with the Bucks and still outscored them in points. However, it wasn't enough. The lead was too much to overcome even with Anthony Davis scoring 36 points and LeBron James showing his usual playmaking skills with 11 assists. The first points of the game were made possible by James doing a cross-court, baseline, bounce pass. After that, he tried to dominate the paint with his signature power moves, only to end up being blocked by Antetokounmpo.

According to Bleacher Report, the reigning MVP is becoming the NBA's worst nightmare (for other teams). Antetokounmpo is a prolific scorer, a good rebounder, and a dominant defender. But in this game against the Lakers, he shot 5 out of 8 beyond the arc, showing long-range skill he has never shown before. Reggie Miller, who was commenting on the game, claimed that the reigning MVP now has a "shooter's mentality" and has gained the confidence to pull the trigger from downtown. That will add another dimension to Antetokounmpo's impressive list of basketball skills.

Four other Bucks posted double-digit scoring, including 21 by George Hill. Meanwhile, LeBron James finished with 21 points. Only four other Lakers scored more than four points in the entire game. It's a display of two different basketball theories. It's working well for both teams, but in this case, it's the Bucks that showed they were the better team and potential champions.