Wednesday 20 March 2019 05:33, UK
Every week, we will look back over the previous seven days of NBA action and identify the players who made noise on – and in some cases - off the court. Which players dominated the headlines in NBA week 22?
The 76ers' visit to Milwaukee on Sunday night produced one of the season's best games. MVP favourite Antetokounmpo went head to head with Embiid in a dramatic game that whetted the appetite for a potential playoff clash later this season.
Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 52 points, Embiid answered with 40 - including a dagger three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining - as the Sixers held on to beat the league-leading Bucks 130-125 on their own floor.
The highlights were many. Giannis teasing Embiid out to the perimeter before hitting a three-pointer over him. Embiid soaring above the rim to hammer home an alley-oop slam from Ben Simmons' feed. Antetokounmpo driving hard at Sixers giant back-up center Boban Marjanovic, hanging in the air and scoring despite being fouled.
Sky Sports NBA studio guest Ronny Turiaf, who won an NBA title as a member of the Miami Heat in 2012, was full of praise for both young stars after the game, saying they had given the fans a glimpse of the NBA's future in a "high-powered, high-scoring, exciting game".
"Giannis was amazing," said Turiaf. "He went all the way to the end. He showed great leadership. He picked up the slack given they the Bucks were missing their starting point guard."
"[Embiid] was a beast. He did everything, from back-to-the-basket to outside shots. He was everywhere, blocking shots, being active. He could be in the MVP race if the Sixers keep going as they are going. And he's only 25. He's going to be a problem for a lot of people."
'Super Mario' has not had much to celebrate during his first season as a New York Knick. He has struggled to make an impact while his team owns the worst win-loss record in the league.
But, thanks to one clutch play against the NBA's biggest marquee player, Hezonja now has a moment in a Knicks uniform that he can reflect on with pride.
The Croatian forward emphatically blocked an attempted game-winning shot from LeBron James to seal the Knicks' dramatic 124-123 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon.
Whether Hezonja, a man who averages eight points per game for the league's worst team, was right or wrong to stare down four-time MVP James after making the highlight play, is debatable.
But you would have a heart of stone to deny him a moment of joy in this miserable Knicks season.
Back to Sunday night's epic Sixers-Bucks clash, where Philly reserve Mike Scott took in-game hydration to new levels.
During the second quarter, Scott was forced to dive into the courtside seats as he tried to save a loose ball from going out of bounds.
He tumbled through the first row of seats, coming to rest next to a startled female spectator in the second row. Not missing a beat, Scott swiped a beverage from the fan's hand, took a quick swig, then raced back onto the court to rejoin the play with the applause of the Bucks' fan ringing in his ears.
Following the Sixers' statement 130-125 win, Scott revealed the fan's drink was a whiskey and Coke and told Philly.com: "It was just in the moment. I probably won't do it again. But it was good, though. No ice."
And who could blame him? Sunday night was St Patrick's Day after all.
As a team, the Pistons are maddeningly inconsistent, putting up abysmal 75 and 74 point totals in consecutive Week 22 losses before righting the ship with home victories over the Lakers and Raptors.
But their man in the middle, 6ft 11in center Andre Drummond, is a player they can rely on night in, night out.
In Detroit's 110-107 win over Toronto on Sunday night, Drummond surpassed 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals for the season, the fourth time he has completed that feat.
No player has ever achieved that (since blocks and steals were first recorded in the 1973/74 season).
The only players with three seasons of 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals: Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett.
All-Star shooting guard Beal became the first player in Wizards franchise history to record at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists on consecutive nights thanks to superb performances against the Charlotte Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Beal connected on a career-high nine three-pointers against the Grizzlies, following up the seven triples he would make against the Hornets 24 hours earlier.
Beal was ultra-efficient in leading the Wizards to victory against Memphis, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to score 40 points in a single game when taking 17 or fewer shots, per NBA.com/stats.
Over four Week 22 games, Beal averaged 32.5 points, 7.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 52.3 per cent from the field and 52.5 per cent from three-point range to lead Washington to a 3-1 record.
Those numbers were good enough to earn him the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for the second time this season, and for the third time in his career.
