Around the Globe: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks eying No. 1 seed

A scorching Giannis Antetokounmpo has helped Milwaukee ascend near the top of the Eastern Conference as the postseason draws near.

Michael Duke, for NBA.com

The Milwaukee Bucks sit just one game back of the Miami Heat for the No. 1 seed in the East with nine games remaining.

The battle for Kia MVP looks like it’s going to go down to the wire as Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid struggle to create much separation from each other. 

Embiid and Antetokounmpo — along with LeBron James — are separated by the slimmest of margins in a historically close race for the scoring title, which may very well come down to the final day of the regular season. 

Additionally, both conferences field plenty of contenders still jockeying for postseason seeding, along with other teams fighting to improve their Play-In Tournament positioning. 

With so little time left in the regular season and so much still up in the air, the scenarios are endless … and they will all be unpacked in this edition of the Around the Globe report: 

*All stats through Thursday, March 24

This Edition’s standout

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (Greece)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 30.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 55.3 FG%

How Giannis Antetokounmpo earned spot on NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

Realistically, Antetokounmpo is always good enough to occupy this spot, but he gets the nod this time due to team success rather than individual brilliance. The Bucks are one game back of the No. 1 seed in the East thanks to a 10-2 stretch, during which they’ve racked up impressive wins against the Suns, Jazz, Heat and Bulls. 

With all three of the leading Kia MVP candidates putting up gaudy numbers, each of them will have to bring a unique argument to the table. Antetokounmpo’s is that his squad has been the most consistent and is playing its best at the season’s most crucial juncture. 

Other notables

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (Serbia)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 27.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 6.7 apg

NBA Exclusive: Inside the Nikola Jokic experience

Jokic has answered the bell every time his team has needed him to. After back-to-back disappointing losses at the hands of the Cavaliers and Celtics, Jokic responded with a 30-point, 17-rebound outing in a critical Tuesday win against the Clippers. The Nuggets couldn’t overcome Devin Booker’s 49-point outburst in Thursday’s loss to the Suns, however, so they’re still just one game ahead of the No. 7-seeded Timberwolves.

But the Nuggets’ odds of avoiding the Play-In Tournament are helped by them having a more favorable remaining schedule than the Wolves. Out of Denver’s eight remaining games, only two of them are against teams over .500. 

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (Cameroon)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 31.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 4.2 apg

Joel Embiid x LeBron James scoring mix

Embiid has a chance to accomplish something no center has done since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000: win the MVP and  scoring title in the same season. Embiid (29.83 ppg) is just 0.13 points per game behind the current leader, James (29.96), with just 10 games to go. To put in perspective how historically-close this race is, the closest margin between a scoring champion and runner-up was 0.07 ppg in the 1977-78 campaign, when George Gervin beat out David Thompson by scoring 63 points in the final game of the season. 

Embiid dropped 30 points against the Lakers on Wednesday (a game James missed due to knee soreness.) The 76ers’ star will have one more crack at a scoring-title contender on March 29 when he faces Antetokounmpo (29.72 ppg). 

Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors (Cameroon)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 27 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 5.9 apg

Pascal Siakam drops 35 points against Cavs

Over the past month, Toronto has gone from trying desperately to hold its position in the Play-In field to having a legit shot at avoiding the Play-In all together. The Raptors have won seven of their last nine, including impressive road wins against the 76ers, Suns and Nuggets. After pulling out an important victory against the Cavs on Thursday — thanks to Siakam’s 35 points — Toronto’s outlook is even brighter. The Raptors are just two games behind the skidding Bulls for the No. 5 seed with seven of its 10 remaining games at home. 

Shooting star 

Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans (Lithuania)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 20.1 ppg, 13 rpg, 56.4 FG%

Jonas Valanciunas posts 26 points & 12 rebounds vs. Hawks

The Pelicans have been breathing down the Lakers’ neck for the No. 9 seed for a while. New Orleans is the No. 9 seed now and could get a big leg up on L.A. when the teams meet in New Orleans this Sunday. The Pelicans won by 28 points in the first matchup on Feb. 27 and a season-series sweep provides a vital piece in New Orleans improving its Play-In positioning — considering the Lakers have one of the toughest remaining schedules. 

New Orleans could still be without Brandon Ingram for the crucial matchup, as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury, but Valanciunas has done a solid job in his absence. The big man has tallied six straight double-doubles and has formed a respectable tandem with CJ McCollum. 

Under the radar

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks (Serbia)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 17.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.9 apg 

Assist of the Night: Bogdan Bogdanovic - March 22, 2022

Bogdanovic’s numbers are slightly down compared to his last two seasons, but he seems to be finding his groove at just the right time. The marksman has surpassed the 30-point mark in two of his last four outings after failing to do so in each of his first 51 games this season. Bogdanovic’s production will need to continue trending upward if the 10th-place Hawks are going to keep pace with the No. 9-seeded Hornets (who have won five of their last six). 

Rookie spotlight  

Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State (Congo)

Stats over last 2 weeks: 12.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 50.0 FG%

Jonathan Kuminga pours in 22 points vs. Heat

Kuminga’s overall averages don’t pop off the page like other lottery picks’ do, but numbers don’t tell the whole story. The bouncy forward has had to methodically pay his dues to earn playing time on a Golden State team with championship aspirations. Over the course of the season, Kuminga has gone from a timid rookie to a confident contributor and someone the Warriors will depend on in the playoffs. His growth was on full display Wednesday against the Heat, as he scored 22 points to help undermanned Golden State topple East-leading Miami. 

G League notables 

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Wisconsin Herd (Georgia)

The 6-foot-9 big man posted just the third outing of 30-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in the G League this season on Wednesday against Raptors 905 and is averaging 24.5 points and 14.3 rebounds per game over his last four outings.

Santi Aldama, Memphis Hustle (Spain)

On assignment from the Memphis Grizzlies, Aldama has scored 20+ points in each of his last five games — including 28 and 33 in back-to-back wins over the Western Conference-leading Rio Grande Valley Vipers earlier this week — to help the Hustle win seven of their last eight and climb back into the playoff race in the West.

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