It looked as though the Milwaukee Bucks were about to turn a corner following their second-half outburst in their Thursday night 123-100 rout of the Utah Jazz. However, the good vibes didn't last very long for a Bucks team that has struggled so much to begin the year. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Bucks came out flat and the New York Knicks took advantage, dealing Milwaukee its seventh loss of the season in nine games in a 116-94 blowout.
At this point, there is no chalking up this loss to early-season blues. The Bucks look old, frail, and slow — putting them at a disadvantage on most nights. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is defiant, and he wants the team to keep competing even though the odds may be stacked against them — calling them out for their lack of competitiveness in their loss to the Knicks.
“At least give yourself a chance. We came to New York after playing great last night. We come here, we lose by 30. Are you OK with not competing? I know I'm not OK with that s**t. We've got Boston in two days. We don't compete, we're gonna lose by 30,” Antetokounmpo said after the game, per Chris Herring of ESPN.
In the NBA, there is no such thing as pity among competitors. Teams will be looking to bury the Bucks every single night, especially when they've been playing subpar basketball to begin the 2024-25 campaign, and Antetokounmpo urged his team to not be mere pushovers.
“Teams are not just gonna give us games. They're not gonna feel bad for us. We've gotta compete every single possession. Every loose ball, we've gotta get a body on the floor & put it on the line. We didn't compete at all,” Antetokounmpo added.
If there's any guarantee for the Bucks, it's that Antetokounmpo will be playing his heart out regardless of the outcome. Antetokounmpo still shot 11-21 from the field on the night for 24 points to lead the team in scoring. But his teammates will have to play so much better than they have thus far this season if they were to bust out of this slump.
The Bucks' supporting cast did not show up against the Knicks
The onus to lead the team on a game-to-game basis falls on the shoulders of the superstars. But Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard can only do so much for the Bucks if their teammates aren't contributing much. Thus, it's imperative for both of them to be at their very best every night, and if even one of them struggles, Milwaukee has no chance to win.
On Friday night, Lillard was not able to replicate his dominance over his past three games; he scored just 19 points on 6-15 shooting from the field as the Bucks were not able to get into much of a rhythm on the night.
And then there's the matter of the Bucks lacking reliable help from their role players. Bobby Portis shot 1-8 from the field, Brook Lopez was passive and took just five shots, and they shot just 7-30 from beyond the arc — a recipe for disaster.
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