milwaukee– giannis antetokounmpo Says chemistry issues may contribute to this milwaukee bucks‘Recent trend of lopsided deficit.
The Bucks fell 122-102 on Wednesday to one oklahoma city thunder The team was missing a handful of rotation players due to injuries. The Bucks have lost four of their last five games. Each of their last three losses were decided by at least 18 points.
After the game against Oklahoma City, Antetokounmpo was asked if he saw any common threads amid the bad losses.
“We’re not playing hard,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re not doing the right thing. We’re not playing to win. We’re not playing together. We don’t have the chemistry. Guys are being selfish, trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shots for the team. Guys are trying to do it on their own.
“Sometimes, I feel like when we’re down 10, down 15, down 20, we try to make it a game, and it’s not going to work.”
Milwaukee’s nine consecutive playoff appearances are in jeopardy midway through the season, with the Bucks (18-25) sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They have not won more than two games in a row at any time this season.
Now they have to get used to playing without it Kevin Porter Jr.., who is second on the team in points per game (16.8) and first in assists per game (7.4). porter has an oblique strain His return date becomes uncertain.
“He’s not going to play anytime soon, I can tell you that, but we don’t know how long he’s going to be out,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said.
One thing that could help the Bucks is getting the ball into Antetokounmpo’s hands more often. The two-time MVP has made 13 field goal attempts or less in his last four games, including 11 attempts against Oklahoma City.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to yell, abuse my teammates and demand the ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve never done that in my career. But I feel like I’ve played with teammates that understand the intensity I can create for my team, how I can create for teammates and for myself, and how I can help the team be more successful.
“But maybe for some reason, I don’t understand – maybe because we’re young, maybe because we’re not playing well, maybe because people think it’s their turn, they want to put the team on their backs and try to turn it around – but I really don’t understand it. I really don’t understand.”
Antetokounmpo said he’s trying to play aggressively and echo what he’s heard from others.
“He told me there’s a thing called the white swan and the black swan, you have to be the black swan and be more aggressive and demand the ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s something I haven’t done, that I’ve never done in my entire career. Maybe I need to do it more.”
