Unfortunately for basketball fans, Tuesday’s highly-anticipated matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns did not feature the expected cast of characters.
The Bucks entered the game with two of their starters missing as Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez both sat out due to respective injuries/issues. Khris Middleton wasn’t even able to finish the first quarter after sustaining an ankle injury that forced him to leave the game.
Despite the shortage of stars, spectators were still treated to a real-life battle of the Titans as Giannis Antetokounmpo went toe-to-toe against Kevin Durant.
Milwaukee Bucks Coach Doc Rivers Speaks Out on Giannis Vs. KD Matchup
Giannis and Durant wasted no time getting themselves reacquainted. The Bucks matched Antetokounmpo up against the Suns superstar as soon as the game tipped off, which was a welcome sight for fans who had been eagerly anticipating this individual showdown.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said after the game that he was happy with what he saw from Antetokounmpo early on in terms of holding KD down — to a certain extent, of course:
“We knew him and Jae would be it,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “They have so much offensive firepower, the last thing we needed early was to get KD going, so I thought Giannis was spectacular early. The length, KD probably has Giannis and Victor (Wembanyama). That’s about it that can guard him that matches up in size, so it was good for us.”
Last season, former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer opted not to match Giannis up against the opposition’s best player on the defensive end in an attempt to preserve Antetokounmpo’s energy. Adrian Griffin flipped that strategy this season, choosing to let Giannis unleash his defensive prowess against the biggest superstars in the league.
Doc Rivers appears to favor his most recent predecessor’s approach in terms of allowing Antetokounmpo to defend the best player on the other team. This was evident against the Suns, and this could be the tactic the tenured coach employs moving forward.
It does come with inherent risks, but at the end of the day, you just want to see the best go up against the best on both ends of the floor.
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