Giannis Antetokounmpo raises his voice after the 8th defeat in 8 games against the Eastern Conference leaders: "We played horribly against them"

In the early hours of Sunday, January 12th to Monday, January 13th Spanish time, the Milwaukee Bucks fell decisively 140-106 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. This has left the team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo with a record of 0 wins and 8 losses against the top three teams in the Western Conference. After the game, the Greek leader and two-time NBA MVP spoke up and demanded more from his teammates.

"We need to gather ourselves. It is as simple as that. We didn't beat Boston. We didn't beat the Cavs. We didn't beat the Knicks," said Antetokounmpo. "Those are the top three teams, and we played horribly against them."

The comments echoed those that Antetokounmpo made after the Bucks were thrashed at Madison Square Garden in November, leading him to criticize Milwaukee's competitive spirit.

The 30-year-old player mentioned that things were a bit different on Sunday. The Bucks, who dropped to 2-7 after their defeat against the Knicks in November, have recently turned things around, with a record of 20-17 after their latest loss. However, Antetokounmpo still expects more.

"I think we are a much better team [now] than in November. We have shown that by playing good basketball for a longer period," said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. "But ultimately, when we play against the top teams, we have to do better. They won't just hand it to us, we have to accept that. They won't give up easily."

Milwaukee kept the score close for much of the first half, but New York used a late surge to extend their lead to 13 points at halftime. The Knicks outscored the Bucks by 10 in the first two minutes of the third quarter, prompting the Bucks' coach, Doc Rivers, to call two timeouts in an attempt to halt the momentum.

Knicks' guard Jalen Brunson finished with 44 points and six assists despite missing much of the third quarter after sustaining a shoulder injury. Center Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points and 18 rebounds.

Damian Lillard's Words

Meanwhile, Bucks' guard Damian Lillard acknowledged that Milwaukee's record against the top Eastern teams is far from ideal but added that context is needed. "You have to have seen the games," he said, referencing the two losses to the Cavs by a combined three points and two losses against the Celtics that were decided late in those games.

Lillard emphasized that the adjustments of the Bucks leading up to the postseason will be crucial. "In one year in Portland, OKC kicked our butts in every regular-season game. Then, in the playoffs, we destroyed them," Lillard said. "So, no, we haven't beaten the top teams. But we also need to focus, figure out why, understand the context, and move forward."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Giannis Antetokounmpo alza la voz ante la 8ª derrota en 8 partidos contra los líderes del Este: "Hemos jugado horrible contra ellos"