But the Bucks followed up that showing by being dominated Friday night by the New York Knicks 116-94 at Madison Square Garden.
And Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo made it known after the loss that he wasn’t at all satisfied with the team’s effort.
Antetokounmpo said the performance was more disheartening because it came after three straight performances in which the Bucks, who fell to 2-7 and are tied for 13th in the Eastern Conference, played hard and gave themselves a chance to win. . Instead of taking advantage of that, he said the team lacked heart against the Knicks.
“Did we compete last game? Yes. Did we both compete?” [games before that]? Yes. Shall we compete today? No,” he said. “…If you don’t compete hard, you’re not going to win the game. [You have to] At least give yourself a chance.
“We came to New York after playing really well last night. Then we came here and lost by 30. Are you okay with not competing? I’m not okay with that s—. We have Boston in two days. “Don’t compete, We’re going to lose by 30.”
Both Antetokounmpo and Bucks coach Doc Rivers pointed to the Knicks’ seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter as a metric that spoke to New York’s higher level of effort and physicality. Rivers recalled a first-half play in which three of his players knelt to recover a loose ball, only to see a Knicks player drop to the ground and recover it for an extra possession.
Effort aside, it doesn’t help that Milwaukee just looks old and slow most of the time. The Bucks, who once had one of the best defenses in the league, had no answer for Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists), who torched them from deep and outplayed repeatedly to Brook López. for easy baskets.
The point-of-attack defense, which hasn’t been the same since the Bucks acquired star guard Damian Lillard and traded stopper Jrue Holiday ahead of the 2023-24 season, is among the most vulnerable in the NBA. Entering Friday, the Bucks ranked 28th out of 30 teams in pick-and-roll defense; only Atlanta and Detroit have had more possession problems.
The Bucks’ offense hasn’t been particularly good either, ranking 21st in the league, even with Antetokounmpo and Lillard. Rivers said that as a coach, he has to find ways to advance Bobby Portis. López has also had difficulty finding himself offensively.
But Antetokounmpo said all of those things, from training to shooting luck, are debatable until the team plays harder and more consistently.
“At the end of the day, we have to compete,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. “The teams are not just going to give us games. They are not going to feel bad for us.
“We have to compete on every possession. Every fumble, we have to put a body on the court and put it on the line. But we don’t compete at all.”
