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Jamal Collier
milwaukee– box star giannis antetokounmpo accepted on tuesday win 121-111 Above new York Knicks Holds some extra significance, but only because the Knicks beat the Bucks in last season’s series.
In fact, New York went 3-0 against Milwaukee last season and won those games by an average margin of 22 points, which was on Antetokounmpo’s mind entering this game.
“They were much better than us last year and we didn’t make it hard for them,” Antetokounmpo said after scoring 37 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out seven assists. “In my opinion it was very simple. And as the leader of this team, I remember. I don’t forget things and I try to create the atmosphere for the team right from the beginning of the shootaround and try to remind them, last year they overpowered us.”
Milwaukee’s struggles extended to each of the top teams in the conference a year ago, going 0–9 against the top three seeded teams in the East (Cleveland, Boston and New York). But the Bucks set a different tone Tuesday, rallying for a comeback win after falling behind by 14 points in the first half.
Antetokounmpo led the comeback with a big win in the third quarter, where he scored 14 points and dished out four assists, as the Bucks defeated the Knicks 35–20. After a sequence in the middle of the third, Antetokounmpo blocked a layup attempt. mikal bridges And then laid out a dunk at the other end of the floor. As he walked towards the court, he pointed towards himself and gestured to the crowd.
“This is my city. I love it when it’s tough,” Antetokounmpo recalled saying. “When it’s hard I thrive. When you make it hard, I thrive.”
Antetokounmpo, who became the first player in league history with 30 points and 60% FGs in each of his first four games of the season, later said he had no deeper meaning beyond the message and was just in the heat of the moment.
Antetokounmpo has been linked to the Knicks following a summer report from ESPN’s Shams Charania stating that Antetokounmpo considered New York as the only destination he wanted to play for outside of Milwaukee. The two sides engaged in brief trade negotiations that ultimately never progressed.
Still, Antetokounmpo didn’t want to get too caught up in offseason speculation Tuesday, saying his focus was on basketball and the Bucks’ next game against the Warriors on Thursday.
“What matters right now is that we’ve got to play a game against Golden State in two days,” he said. “Try to stay close and get two in a row.”
