Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks out against the 8th loss in 8 games against the Eastern Conference leaders: "We played horribly against them"

In the early hours of Sunday, January 12th, Spanish time, to Monday, January 13th, the Milwaukee Bucks were decisively defeated 140-106 at Madison Square Garden by the New York Knicks. This has placed 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 raised his voice and demanded more from his teammates.

"We have to pull ourselves together. It's 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 were similar to what Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks were crushed at Madison Square Garden in November, leading him to criticize Milwaukee's competitive spirit.

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

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

Milwaukee kept the score close for much of the first half, but New York used a late run 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 Bucks' coach Doc Rivers to call two timeouts in an attempt to stop the momentum.

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson finished with 44 points and six assists despite missing a significant part of the third quarter after injuring his right shoulder. 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 it requires context. "You have to have seen the games," he said, citing the Bucks' two losses to the Cavs by a combined three points and other losses against the Celtics that were decided in the final moments of those games.

Lillard said the adjustments the Bucks make before the start of the postseason will be crucial. "One year in Portland, OKC kicked our butts in every regular season game. Then, in the playoffs, we beat them," Lillard said. "So no, we haven't beaten the top teams. But we also have to focus, see why, figure out 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"