Giannis Antetokounmpo emphasized his evolving role in Milwaukee’s offense after leading the Bucks to a 115-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. “I love when I handle the ball a little bit and bring the ball up and handle the ball and get everybody in their position and run the play,” he said.
The two-time MVP finished with 37 points and 11 rebounds in just 31 minutes, shooting 13-of-17 from the floor and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. “We got to keep on aiming to like score 120, 125, 130, you know, every single day,” Giannis added, reflecting on the team’s scoring targets.
Antetokounmpo highlighted his role in developing young point guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins. “I got to give them space to grow…they know how to control the game. Right now probably try to kind of facilitate as much as I can from the post, which probably I’m doing it more than I’ve done in my career,” he explained.
The Bucks built a dominant lead early, scoring 62 points in the first half while limiting Sacramento to 43 percent shooting. Giannis credited his team’s defense: “Defensively, we let them score 98 points, which I’m happy about.”
Despite a late third-quarter surge by the Kings, who cut a 24-point deficit to five, Milwaukee regained control with an 18-5 run. “We got stops, we got rebounds, we’re able to execute better, and get the game,” Giannis said. “We should not put ourselves in that position. We got to grow, we got to be better.”
Giannis also discussed his personal mindset, noting the balance between facilitating and scoring. “Do I believe that I can facilitate, I can make plays? Yeah. Do I believe that I got to give them space for them to grow? Yeah…today we check the stats, seven assists or more, I’ve won 69% of my games, eight assists or more, 73% of my games. So pretty much when I’m a point guard, we win.”
Supporting Giannis, Kevin Porter Jr. added 25 points and 10 assists, while Myles Turner contributed 15 points and anchored the interior defensively. Milwaukee converted 27 of 30 free throws and held a plus-10 edge on the glass.
The Bucks improve to 16-20 as they prepare for a three-game road trip beginning Wednesday in Golden State. Sacramento falls to 8-28, struggling with consistency and outside shooting, hitting just 5-of-25 from three-point range.
