Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes the Bucks' all-time rebounding leader
Giannis Antetokounmpo grabbed 17 rebounds in the win over Houston, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7,161) for the most rebounds in Bucks franchise history.
The Milwaukee Bucks broke up their pregame huddle before running onto the court Tuesday night with one instruction: Don't play with your food.
They largely failed to do so, defeating San Antonio 132-119 at the Fiserv Forum. It was the Bucks' fifth straight win as they improved to 20-7. The Spurs lost for the 20th time in their last 21 games, falling to 4-22.
“These aren’t easy games, but I thought we took care of business,” Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said. “I thought everyone contributed.”
The pregame edict was not arrogance on the part of the Bucks, but simply a statement of fact. The Spurs were one of the worst teams in the NBA with just four wins and star rookie Victor Wembanyama was sidelined with an injury. There was no reason for the Bucks to lose, let alone let the Spurs stay in the game.
Thus, Milwaukee effectively ended the game in the first eight minutes, having taken a 27-9 lead and even leading by 22 points. The Spurs cut the deficit to eight, but the Bucks immediately went on a 15-6 run and led confidently again.
“I think any time you get into a game like this with a team that's on a losing streak and their best player is out, those are the trap games that a team like this that's really well coached knows “That she's not going to come out and just leave her alone,” Lillard said. “They play with a lot of pace, they move the ball, they hit hard, everything they do they do with intention.
“When you try to go into a game against a team like that you can end up being 15 points behind and it has nothing to do with the skill or the person that's on the field, it just has to do with them The way they play and the way they play.” Re-coached. It was extremely important to set a tone and establish ourselves from the start.”
BOX score: Bucks 132, Spurs 119
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded the 37th triple-double of his career with 16 assists, 14 rebounds and 11 points. The assist total is a career high and it was his second triple-double of the season. Bobby Portis scored 23 points off the bench and Khris Middleton (17) and Brook Lopez (14) also scored in double figures.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 28 points.
Damian Lillard reaches 20,000 career points
With his third basket of the game – part of a 19-point first quarter effort – Damian Lillard became the 51st player in NBA history (and eighth active player) to reach 20,000 points. Of the 43 retired players, 37 are in the Hall of Fame.
“I mean, I don’t want to downplay it like it’s nothing,” he said. “I know it's a big deal. It's a great achievement. It's a rare situation to be in. In the history of this league, only 51 players have achieved something like this, so I think that speaks for itself. And I look at what led up to that.” Until then, all the things I think about in high school and college and the doubts I faced throughout my pre-NBA career.
“Which I shouldn’t be. What I shouldn't achieve. And just my mentality with all of these things. Sometimes you don't really see the light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to have that belief in yourself.”
Lillard is one of a dozen of those 51 who have Milwaukee ties, either through playing at Marquette University (Dwyane Wade), playing for the city's original NBA team (Bob Pettit) and being drafted by Dirk Nowitzki, or for the Bucks played.
The 33-year-old point guard also surpassed this milestone stylistically with his first 40-point attempt in a Bucks uniform. He made 7 of his 12 three-pointers and 14 of 22 shots overall, as well as 5 of 5 free throws. He also handed out four assists.
On December 13, Lillard became the fifth all-time three-point shooter in league history, passing Kyle Korver in three-pointers made.
Adrian Griffin, who planned the game against Lillard as an opposing assistant coach earlier this year, explained why Lillard is such a unique scorer.
“Obviously he can shoot the ball, he can stretch the floor, he just puts a lot of pressure on the defense,” the Bucks head coach began. “If you put his bigs up front, he can drive around them, he's strong enough and physical enough to finish at the rim. He simply has no weaknesses on offense. He has the middle distance. He can shoot from deep.”
“Depending on your coverage, he’s a willing passer if you put two on the ball. This allows him to expand the ground and shoot them deep, so you have to adapt. Then he has the speed and physicality to turn the ball somehow.” Corner. He just puts a lot of pressure on the defense. I've tried this many times in the past when I had to scout Portland and you just had to attack him with people. That's simply the only way.
“You can’t protect him one-on-one. You can't really guard him two-on-two in pick-and-rolls. You just have to keep sending two or three bodies at him.”
The Bucks' offense continues to set the tone
The Bucks still want to improve defensively (20th defensive rating, 23rd in defensive rating before Tuesday night), but their offense is doing a great job in that regard for now. The sample size is still small at this point in the season, but these numbers are starting to resemble trends rather than anomalies:
- 9-1 with equal or more assists than an opponent (season high of 34 vs. 27 for the Spurs).
- 14-0 when 30 or more points are scored in the first quarter (the Bucks scored a season-best 44 points in the first frame).
- 16-1 when ahead or tied at halftime (they led 72-59 at halftime, scoring 10 points on San Antonio turnovers and 20 on the fast break).
- 16-1 with 120 or more points.
- 20-4 when 50 or more points are scored in the first half.
And in their 10 games on Tuesday – when the offense was even more solidified – the Bucks' defense ranked 11th in the NBA with a rating of 115.0 (points allowed per 100 possessions).
“If you take care of the ball, make good shots and your teammates know where those shots are coming from, most of the time you can get good floor balance, sprint back and get the defense up to speed,” Griffin said of the offense helping the defense.
“I think when you turn the ball over, obviously it's difficult. That's why you want to take care of the ball. I also think your shot selection can help. Sometimes when your teammates don't know you're taking those shots, you kind of surprise them and it's also difficult to sprint back. So in the beginning, your offense determines a lot, especially transition defense, how you set up your defense and get them into the half court. If they have to take the ball out (of the basket), we can strengthen our defense.”
Pat Connaughton is back in the flow
Pat Connaughton played his third game after missing six straight games due to a foot injury on November 28 against Miami. Connaughton faced Heat center Bam Adebayo in that game and not only rolled his right ankle, but also suffered a bone bruise on the inside of his foot.
“If I twisted it, the outward appearance — like a typical ankle sprain — can take a while, but it wasn't that bad,” he told the Journal Sentinel. “The two bones on the inside, my foot and my ankle, hit together and I had a bone bruise, and it's just time. It takes a minute for them to become less sensitive. I still feel it now, but it's not as bad as it was and I can (expletive) deal with it.
In his first 18 games, Connaughton shot 33.9% from behind the three-point line and 42% overall in 23 minutes per game. In the last three minutes he was trained in an average of 15.6 minutes.
“I try to tailor it to the needs of the game,” he said after a shootout about how he feels about returning from injuries. “From a physical perspective, it's just about making sure I can go out and perform without hurting too much, without feeling like it's limiting my abilities.
“It’s just about making sure I find ways to contribute to winning no matter what end of the floor it is.”
Five numbers
4 Double-doubles this season for Bobby Portis after he posted 23 points and 10 rebounds. It's also his second in his last three games.
10 The second violation called for Giannis Antetokounmpo when he attempted the first of two free throws 3 minutes, 36 seconds into the first half. It was the second time he had been called to account for waiting too long at the free throw line.
14 Consecutive wins at Fiserv Forum for the Bucks, their longest at the arena and most since ripping off 20 consecutive games at the Bradley Center from April 19, 1990 through January. 8, 1991.
16 For Antetokounmpo, he played consecutive games, his longest streak since 31 consecutive games during the 2020–21 championship season (January 11 – March 20, 2021).
57 Lillard's shooting percentage over the last three games (36 for 41), including a 52.9% shooting percentage from behind the three-point line (18 for 34). He's been finding something lately, shooting 41.9% overall and 34.6% from behind the arc in his first 22 games. Lillard has also gone 22 for 23 from the free throw line in the last three contests.
'Enjoy the journey': Giannis is waxing philosophical again after setting a franchise rebounding record
Victor Wembanyama is out for Spurs
The Spurs were No. 1 on Monday night with right ankle soreness. He played 31 minutes against New Orleans on Sunday, scoring 17 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking four shots. It's the first game he'll miss since Dec. 1 and just the second this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo on Victor Wembanyama: “The sky is the limit”
Antetokounmpo didn't come to the NBA from Greece as the most celebrated international prospect in basketball history. When he arrived he didn't reach the 7 feet he is now. He didn't start his career in Milwaukee with great expectations.
But he has to be considered one of the greatest player development stories in league history, having started his career at 18 years old, 6-foot-3 and (generously) weighing 200 pounds, and becoming the league's two-time MVP has developed one of the most athletic and dominant big men the sport has ever seen.
Antetokounmpo is 12th all-time in triple-doubles and has become the true archetype for what the “point forward” position could be. He is unstoppable in transition, can initiate attacks, but can also work the midrange, bending the rim at will.
It is from this perspective that many view the potential of Wembanyama, the 7-4 French teenager who headlines the resurgent Spurs. The 19-year-old is a more polished professional than Antetokounmpo was when he arrived from Europe, and he was handed the keys to the franchise immediately upon his draft.
Everything the Spurs do revolves around his development.
And of course, Antetokounmpo's opinion on this phenomenon was sought.
But the Bucks star disagreed, saying several times that he doesn't watch basketball or highlights and therefore wasn't sure what Wembanyama was doing or could do in the NBA. But even he couldn't escape the hype as he had heard his teammates talking about the Frenchman.
Earlier this year, a French reporter told Antetokounmpo that Spurs coaches had compared their development plan to Antetokounmpo's and that they wanted Wembanyama to “get uncomfortable” playing different positions so he could handle things on the court himself could find out.
“I feel like being able to play multiple positions has just helped me in my career,” Antetokounmpo admitted. “When I came into the league and started as, what was I, a four-player? My second year I was more of a shooting guard. In my third year I was a point guard. Then just keep going. I don't know what I am today. I just try to be a basketball player and adapt where I can. But it will definitely help him feel uncomfortable.”
Antetokounmpo then revealed that he saw Wembanyama play in person in Lyon, France – in the 2021-22 French LNB Pro A League season, when his younger brother Kostas was Wembanyama's teammate at Asvel Villeurbanne.
“He’s got a lot of talent,” Antetokounmpo said of the Spurs rookie. “I saw that he had a lot of potential. He can play any position he wants to play. He is a basketball player. It doesn't fit together no matter where you put it on the floor. For him, it's all about being disciplined, staying healthy and – most importantly – continuing to enjoy the game. For him, the sky is the limit. He can be anything he wants in this league. He has a lot of talent.”
Bucks schedule
After facing the Spurs, the Bucks host the Orlando Magic on Thursday to complete their five-game homestand. Then we go on an away tour for four games.