Giannis Antetokounmpo: Bucks need to step up vs. top teams
After the Milwaukee Bucks were routed Sunday by the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden — a loss that dropped them to 0-8 in games against the top three teams in the East — two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said the Bucks needed to start showing more.
“We’ve gotta get our stuff together. It’s as simple as that. We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn’t beat the Knicks,” he said after Milwaukee got blitzed 140-106 by New York. “Those are the top three teams, and we’ve played horribly against them.”
The comments were similar to ones Antetokounmpo made back in November, when the Bucks were blown out at the Garden, prompting him to critique Milwaukee’s competitive spirit.
The 30-year-old was clear to say things were a bit different this time, with Milwaukee above .500 at 20-17 now, whereas it was just 2-7 before. But only somewhat.
“I think we’re a way better team [now] than the November team. We’ve proven it by playing good basketball for longer stretches,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday’s defeat. “But at the end of the day, when we’re playing the better teams, we’ve got to do a better job. They’re not just going to give it to us — we’ve gotta take it. They’re not just going to fold.”
Milwaukee looked competitive to begin the game, going almost basket-for-basket with the Knicks for much of the first half. But New York expanded its lead to 13 by halftime. To begin the third quarter, the Knicks outscored the Bucks by 10 in the first two minutes alone, prompting coach Doc Rivers to burn two separate timeouts in that short span in hopes of stopping the bleeding.
Neither of the timeouts worked. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was dominant, finishing with 44 points and six assists, even though he had to be worked on in the locker room for much of the third period after suffering a right shoulder stinger. Center Karl-Anthony Towns was unstoppable, too, with 30 points and 18 boards.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard acknowledged the 0-8 mark against top clubs is far from ideal, but said it also requires context.
“You have to have watched the games,” he said, citing losses by one point and two points to Cleveland, and a pair of clutch-time defeats against Boston.
Lillard said the adjustments the Bucks make between now and the start of the postseason will be paramount.
“One year in Portland, we got our asses whooped every [regular-season] game by OKC. Then in the playoffs, we whooped their ass,” Lillard said. “So no; we haven’t beaten the top teams. But we also have to key in, look at why, figure out the context and move forward.”
Source: espn.com