Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks with 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds in a 108-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at Ball Arena.
The Bucks trailed by as many as 15 points, but Giannis remained focused on execution, saying, “Defensively we just had to set the tone a little bit early… they were getting any shot they wanted… in the second half I was able to be a little more physical, push them off the spots, push them off the elbows.”
Despite his effort, Giannis stressed the importance of team consistency, noting, “We just have to be better overall as a team… got to be able to control a lead… got to be able to not give teams like runs… we just have to be better.”
Reflecting on the Bucks’ road trip, he added, “I hope that we understand that we have a very tough schedule moving forward… every win that we get, every close game we can end… counts.”
Giannis acknowledged issues with team offense, especially without key players, saying, “The ball wasn’t like the passing wasn’t good… so many shots that the guys were wide open and they got the ball like right in their feet… we got pretty much any shot we wanted if we had been patient.”
He also emphasized the need for decisiveness, explaining, “When I get off the floor, we just have to be decisive… cannot play from side to side… we got to be way more decisive without thinking of like, okay, let me get mine.”
On maintaining proper spacing and team structure, Giannis said, “When a big fella is on the floor, it’s simple. We play through him in the elbows… we space the floor… spacing has to be impeccable.”
The Bucks missed critical chances late, including two game-tying three-pointers in the final 20 seconds, as Giannis reflected, “Execution maybe wasn’t quite there where you needed it late… we have to be more aggressive, more physical… we have to move the ball more.”
Giannis also addressed his fourth-quarter performance, adding, “This was only the third time this year I’ve played an entire fourth quarter… I felt good, felt great… trying to be aggressive, get downhill, get the rebounds.”
Denver overcame the absence of five key players, including Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, with Tim Hardaway Jr. scoring 25 points, Aaron Gordon adding 23, Peyton Watson 19 points with eight rebounds and six assists, and Zeke Nnaji recording 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams return to action Tuesday, as the Nuggets visit the Pelicans and the Bucks host the Timberwolves.
