Giannis Antekounmpo says he realized as a leader, he had to adapt his mindset against the Detroit Pistons, leading to his 59-point game.

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Pistons 127-120 in overtime on Wednesday, with Antetokounmpo the driving force as they bounced back from their last NBA defeat to the Boston Celtics.

His total was five back on his career-high points total in a single game, but was his ninth 50-point, 10-rebound game in his career, which puts him third on the NBA all-time list.

Antetokounmpo made 21 of 34 shots from the field and 16 of 17 free throws, while he also had 14 rebounds and seven assists.

He was one of three players alongside Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns to score at least 45 points on Wednesday, which is a tie for the most on a single day in NBA history.

"Coming into this game, I realized I have to be aggressive," Antetokounmpo said. "While I was doing that, it was not working. We were down by 15, 18.

"In the second half, I had to keep my aggressiveness but keep on moving the ball. Now, as a leader, you keep on going with that energy and mentality. Sometimes you've got to be able to do both."

Antetokounmpo had scored 22 of his team's first 24 points in the first quarter, with Bucks coach Doc Rivers unsure whether his point-scoring dominance was a good thing or not.

"It's funny how a coach thinks, though. We called a timeout and Giannis has 22 of our 24," said Rivers.

"This ain't good. I'm thinking the exact opposite. We've got to get somebody else involved in this.

"After the game, you realize how special this is. But during the game you're in a panic," he said.