Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke Thursday at the Frost Bank Center about Milwaukee’s 119-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and analyzed the critical period in the second quarter that shifted the momentum.
Giannis called Victor Wembanyama’s return a turning point. “Momentum. One of the best players came back, was able to get rhythm out of the defense, got a block and then got a three. I think it energized everyone,” he explained.
The Bucks star reflected on missed opportunities. “We got a lot of open threes, open looks that we couldn’t knock down. If one of them goes in, it’s going to be a whole different game for the night,” Antetokounmpo said.
He noted the team’s offensive struggles despite moving the ball well. “When you get back to the half, you look at the stats and you think, ‘Okay, we shot 33 seconds,’ which means we moved the ball… we knocked down a few, but we missed a lot of good looks coming out of the half,” Giannis said.
The forward also addressed Milwaukee’s recent inability to respond to counterattacks. “Two games we scored under 100. We have to be more aggressive. We have to see the ball going in. We have to stop playing side by side and play more downhill,” he said.
Giannis shared his thoughts on his own playing time and conditioning. “How many minutes have I played? 21, 22. Do I want to play more minutes? Yes. But it was clearly a blow. The coach decided to take me out of the game. Smart decision probably,” he said.
The superstar also reflected on the confrontation with Wembanyama. “He’s a much better player. He tries to facilitate more for his teammates, getting the ball closer to the basket. He’s 8 feet tall, virtually unguardable. As long as he stays healthy, he’s the future of this league,” Antetokounmpo said.
Looking ahead, Giannis emphasized focus and preparation. “We have to practice, take care of our bodies, talk about what happened tonight, what happened last game. Then it’s like training camp. We have to get after it, play hard, practice hard. Hopefully that can translate to Atlanta,” he said.
Milwaukee struggled to keep pace, shooting 34% overall and 35% from three, while Giannis led the team with 21 points. Kyle Kuzma added 18 points, and Bobby Portis contributed 13. San Antonio shot 51% overall, 43% from deep, and converted 23 of 27 free throws.
The loss drops the Bucks to 17-24, 11th in the Eastern Conference, while the Spurs improve to 28-13, tied for third in the West. Milwaukee plays Atlanta on Monday and Minnesota against San Antonio on Saturday.
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