At this point, it would probably be safe to say that the Indiana Pacers have the Milwaukee Bucks’ number. A testament to this fact is how the Pacers not only put an end to Milwaukee’s 15-game home winning streak on Monday with a 122-113 victory but also, how this loss was the Bucks’ third defeat to the same opponent this season.
Milwaukee has failed to win just nine times out of 33 games in 2023-24, and a third of those losses came against the Pacers.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Stern Warning
It would be very easy to fall into the trap of being discouraged after Monday’s brutal loss to Indiana. However, this simply isn’t the case for Giannis Antetokounmpo. After amassing a 30-point, 18-rebound, 11-assist triple-double against the Pacers, the former back-to-back MVP decided to highlight the silver lining of another loss to their Central Division foes:
“It’s not okay to lose three times to the same team, but it’s good. It’s a lesson, man,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I don’t think it’s bad because sometimes you go into the playoffs and you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s no way a team can beat us four times in a row.’ But on Wednesday, there’s a chance of a team beating us four times in the regular season, it’s a lesson.
“You gotta be more aware, play with more urgency, take care of the ball down the stretch, make more shots because there’s teams out there that can beat us four times in a row. So if you don’t play the best basketball we can play, they’ll beat us.”
It’s only right that Antetokounmpo already has the postseason in mind when the Bucks face off against the Pacers in Wednesday’s rematch because there is no doubt that Indiana is a legitimate playoff threat in the East.
Giannis is now rallying the troops as they face the looming prospect of losing to Indiana for a fourth time this season. Just imagine the type of mental edge the Pacers would have on the Bucks if this happened and they ended up facing off in the playoffs.
Antetokounmpo and the rest of his team will have to make sure that this won’t be the case on Wednesday night.
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