After a rocky start to the NBA regular season that saw the Milwaukee Bucks stumble to a 2-8 record, the team has turned things around with four straight wins, improving to 8-9. Leading the charge is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who didn’t hold back when addressing the team’s change of mindset.
Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard played pivotal roles in the Bucks’ 125-119 win over the Charlotte Hornets, marking their sixth consecutive home victory at Fiserv Forum. The Greek Freak tallied 32 points and 11 rebounds, while Lillard contributed 31 points in the hard-fought contest.
After the game, Antetokounmpo reflected on how the Bucks are shaking off their early-season struggles. “I feel like going into the season, it was sloppy in the beginning,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t know if our confidence, if everybody’s was high — we were losing games. It’s OK. We have to figure things out, and I think now as a team we’ve figured things out.”
He added: “We don’t want to feel what we felt three, four weeks ago. I don’t think anybody in this locker room wants to go back there. It was miserable for everybody. We were coming in here and working practice three hours, four hours, trying to figure things, what was going bad.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks takes the court for a game against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Emirates Cup at Fiserv Forum. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Antetokounmpo emphasized the importance of maintaining the current level of competitiveness to keep the team on track. “Right now we are clicking, and we just gotta stay here. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win every game, but we gotta stay here. We gotta stay here as a team and keep on competing,” Antetokounmpo concluded.
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Giannis focused solely on winning
For Giannis, the goal is clear: win at all costs. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers had initially planned to rest Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets’ late-game surge forced him back into action.
“I don’t care how the game goes, as long as we win the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes it’s going to be pretty, sometimes it’s going to be ugly. As long as we leave here with a ‘W’ and keep on rolling as a team.”
Antetokounmpo sets historic NBA record
In addition to leading the Bucks to victory over the Hornets, Giannis Antetokounmpo achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing legends like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
With his 31-point performance against Charlotte, Antetokounmpo became the player with the most games scoring 30 or more points in the past decade. The Greek Freak continues to solidify his status as one of the league’s greatest talents while leaving a lasting mark on the history of the sport.
