Giannis Antetokounmpo could not prevail over his team conceding a loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday night. The reigning Finals MVP was unable to dominate as the Cs crowd the paint and make him pass the ball to the perimeter.
The Bucks superstar finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, finishing the game with a -19 as Boston cruised past Milwaukee (103-117).
Giannis and co. opened the first half impressively, making most of the shots from the perimeter and taking an 11-point lead (39-28) early in the second quarter.
Antetokounmpo could not find space in the paint, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. He went just eight times in the free-throw line, being passive for most of the game.
“I got to be better, I got to play better, and I got to be more aggressive,” Giannis said in the post-game presser. “It’s not that I’ve never seen it before (teams packing the paint).”
“Having a guy my size, then showing crowd, loading the spin, showing help, and crowding the paint. I’ve seen it over and over again. I got to make better decisions and I got to be more aggressive, no matter what goes on in the game.”
The Bucks shot just 30 percent from beyond the arc and 44.4 percent from the field. They only shot 17-of-47 during the second and third quarters.
“Our spacing didn’t feel like it was great. He (Giannis) did some good things, but, we weren’t at our best. We can shoot the ball better, that always helps, and space around him a little better. It was a tough night, sometimes it happens,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said on Boston’s defense against Giannis.
The Bucks dropped to 18-11 after the loss in Boston. They will proceed to face Indiana and New Orleans in the next two games hoping to bounce back from a tough loss.
