Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were unbeatable to start off the season. With Trae Young sidelined for the Atlanta Hawks in their matchup on Monday, it looked very likely to stay that way.

Coming into the contest, Milwaukee owned a margin of victory of nearly 12 points against all comers, even extending their win streak with Giannis on the sidelines for win number nine.

But even the Greek Freak couldn't completely hold off a solid Hawks squad that the Bucks star has nothing but respect for. In fact, Antetokounmpo admitted after the game that he “loves” playing them due to their rugged defenders.

Via Eric Nehm of The Athletic:

Related NewsArticle continues below
Adidas Dame 10, Adidas, Damian Lillard, Adidas Dame 10 release
First look at Damian Lillard’s ‘All-Star’ Adidas Dame 10
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and center Brook Lopez (11) and guard Damian Lillard (0) on the court during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena
NBA rumors: Exec makes Lakers quip about Bucks star, but it’s not Giannis

“I always love playing against people that love, that take pride in guarding and he’s one of them,” Antetokounmpo said of Okongwu. “Capela is another one. Collins, another one. But I always love playing against people that take pride in defending and take the challenge. You can kind of feel that. I have played against people that you kind of know that they’re not taking this too serious and they kind of have that fear factor in their mind and you can kind of see it in their eyes, kind of smell it from the first play.”

They certainly took up the challenge against the two-time MVP on Monday. While Giannis still managed 25 points, they forced him to commit five turnovers and left him with a brutal -22 during his time on the floor.

“But I’ve played against them a lot of times and I don’t feel that and I love that about it. And I understand that people are going to try to make my job difficult and I’m okay with that. I love that. I don’t want it to be easy. I want it to be a challenge and whenever I play those guys, it’s always a challenge and I respect that and they’ve improved from day one — all three of them. And it’s always a battle when you play against Atlanta. So, I love playing against Atlanta.”

With the addition of Dejounte Murray the Hawks have a certain edge about them to start off the season. It'll be no surprise if the Bucks and Hawks face off again once the postseason rolls around. Giannis Antetokounmpo will more than welcome the challenge.