Giannis Antetokounmpo paced 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, and despite trailing by as many as 15 points, he kept his focus on execution as Milwaukee tried to claw back into the game.
“Defensively we just had to set the tone a little bit early. They were moving the ball, it wasn’t getting touched, they was able to get to their spots, they were getting any shot they wanted. They were able to get downhill, they were feeling good. In the second half I was able to be a little more physical, push them off the spots, push them off the elbows,” remarked the Greek Freak during his postgame availability.
Despite the strong performance, Giannis emphasized the need for greater consistency from the group, saying the Bucks must improve across the board and manage leads better.
Looking back on the road trip, Giannis Antetokounmpo pointed to the challenge ahead, saying the team understands the schedule will only get tougher and that every win and every close game they manage to finish matters moving forward.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s message to the Bucks after the loss to the Nuggets
“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,” he continued.
The Bucks let key opportunities slip away late, missing two potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 20 seconds, and Giannis pointed to lapses in late-game execution.
“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.”
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 are back on the court Tuesday, with the Nuggets traveling to face the Pelicans and the Bucks returning home to host the Timberwolves.
