Antetokounmpo has Bucks zeroed in

‘Greek Freak’ may have new weapon: Nailing 3-pointers

There were no defenders nearby. There wasn’t even another team on the court.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shooting display was nothing spectacular. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of NBA players would knock down a few 3-pointers in a row under the same circumstances.

None has the “Greek Freak’s” combination of size and athleticism.

So videos of his perimeter progress quickly made the rounds on social media, serving more as a warning than a highlight. If Antetokounmpo four-month stoppage that allowed Marc Gasol a chance to rest a left hamstring injury that nagged him during the second half of the season.

The Raptors have fought through injuries to key players all season but believe in what they can do if healthy when it matters most.

“To be honest right now, I’m not worried about being at 100 percent or feeling like I’m all the way there,” Siakam said. “I think it’s going to be a process and I think the goal for us as a team, not just me, is just to peak at the right time.”

Boston isn’t far behind Toronto and neither is Miami, which has the type of rugged defenders who could bother the Bucks.

But Milwaukee (53-12), leading the league in scoring and beating teams by an average of 11.2 points, appears even stronger than last season’s team that won 60. The Bucks believe this season they have enough to go all the way, even without getting to use the home-court advantage they likely would have earned.

“We’re all going through something we haven’t been through before,” All-Star Khris Middleton said. “It’s an even playing field for the most part, so it’s just who’s going to be the better team.”

Celtics’ chances

Boston has one of the deepest teams in the East and emerging stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both won player of the week awards in February.

But the third-place Celtics began their workouts at Disney with Kemba Walker limited by a knee injury and they may not be good enough to beat the top teams in the conference if their All-Star point guard is limited.

Oladipo’s options

Victor Oladipo originally planned to skip the restart but has instead been practicing with his Indiana Pacers teammates and played in their first scrimmage. Should he feel his surgically repaired quad tendon feels good enough, the two-time AllStar would boost a team that is tied for fifth place but is only two games behind No. 4 Miami.

Sizing up Sixers

Philadelphia (39-26) has been disappointing this season, tied for fifth in the East in large part because of a 10-24 record on the road. The Sixers won’t have to worry about playing in anyone else’s arena this season, so maybe a team with talented big bodies such as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Al Horford can still reach its potential.

Battered at bottom

The Brooklyn Nets lost starters Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan after they tested positive for the coronavirus and won’t get Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back from surgeries until next season. They enter play in seventh place, a half-game ahead of Orlando, but both should like their chances of holding off ninth-place Washington. The Wizards will be without leading scorer Bradley Beal and 3-point threat Davis Bertans.

Short on scorers

Antetokounmpo, averaging 29.6 points, is the only one of the top four scorers in the East playing in the restart. Beal (30.5), Atlanta’s Trae Young (29.6) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (25.5) aren’t at Disney.

Morry Gash The Associated Press file Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo worked on his 3-point shooting during the pandemic pause, and if he can hit from the perimeter in restart games Milwaukee may finish off winning the NBA Eastern Conference.