Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 35 points, 13 rebounds and shutout defense, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated Toronto 130-112 for their sixth win in seven games, capped by comfortable wins over the Raptors.
Damian Lillard added 26 points and eight assists, and Khris Middleton had 13 and five on just six basket attempts in 24 minutes. On defense, Giannis held his counterpart, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes 10 points on shots 4-16. Barnes also got into trouble with fouls and finished with five friendlies.
In a postgame interview with Giannis, the reporter noted that Barnes, who was just 1 of 11 shooting on the court at that point, seemed “frustrated in the first half” and asked the Greek Freak if he was actively trying to manipulate his opponents’ headspace.
“No, not necessarily,” Giannis replied. “I don’t think about whether they will play a good game or whether they will score eleven points. I’m just trying to take on the challenge, you know. I had several [lately]”
Then, with the help of reporters, he recalled the players he had to defend over the past few weeks. If he couldn’t name them all right away, no one could blame him – just thinking about the list was exhausting.
Giannis and Bucks put in a lot of work and it’s paying off
“My knees hurt,” Giannis laughed. “Every damn game. I need to rest once in a while.”
He’s not wrong. The beasts he has fought recently could be made into an all-star team, starting with tonight with Barnes and working backwards, in reverse chronology, as follows: Barnes, Paolo Banchero, Karl Anthony-Towns, Banchero again, Victor Wembanyama, Barnes again and Pascal Siakam.
After mentioning the names of Barnes and Banchero, Giannis hit a momentary stumbling block. “Who was in the last game, I don’t remember?”
Sabonis, someone suggested, referring to Sacramento’s underdog Nikola Jokic, a center who fills every column on the scoreboard and whose range extends from the rim to the arc.
Hearing this suggestion, Giannis shook his head wearily and laughed. “No… I’m definitely not keeping tabs on Sabonis. “There’s Brook over there,” he joked, pointing to another locker.
Although Lopez handled most of the defensive duties against the Kings’ center, Antetokounmpo stuck guarding Sabonis here and there during Milwaukee’s 130-115 victory on Tuesday.
However, his duties in the remaining matches were a big challenge. The Bucks are on a break for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia (15-24), and Joel Embiid will be sidelined for at least the next few games, but Antetokounmpo will most likely face 6’8″ Paul George. While it doesn’t get any easier, fans can rest assured that after a full day of recovery, Giannis will be ready to shut it down.
Milwaukee may still be getting better, as seen against the Raptors, but the team is growing as a group
Friday’s game against the Raptors was another game in which Milwaukee came out on top and took a 37-22 lead in the first quarter. However, Giannis was not completely satisfied with the team’s performance, noting that the Bucks were “a little sloppy” at times.
“I felt like it took us a while to get things going,” he said, referring to how Toronto kept pace in the third quarter, trailing by just one point to prevent the Bucks from ending the game prematurely.
In fact, the Raptors didn’t give up much after the first quarter, starting the final quarter on a 6-0 run to keep the pressure on Milwaukee. Giannis stayed in the game until the Bucks led 128-110 with 1:05 left.
Overall, it was another good performance from the hosts. When asked how “proud” he is of the Bucks’ ability to manage the team and strengthen themselves as a unit, Antetokounmpo expressed great confidence in his teammates.
“It’s amazing. I feel like everyone on our team could read the dynamic. Like, “Hey, we need to be tougher, we need to take this more seriously.” Stop playing this game, put them away.”
That’s what the Bucks did, and with a 23-17 record, they’ll look for another win against the 76ers this weekend.
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