The Milwaukee Bucks fell to 17-15 on the season following their demoralizing 113-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night. It truly was a frustrating game, one that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks fall behind by as many as 24 points to the Nets, who improved their record to just 13-21.
Jan 2, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) battle for a rebound in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
It was also a game that saw Giannis, the two-time NBA MVP, set a new league record. He finished the night with 27 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and three blocks while shooting 12/24 from the field (but just 3/10 from the free throw line).
It was the 26th consecutive game in which the Greek Freak scored 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better from the field. This broke the previous record of 25 straight games with such stats, shared by Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal and New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Just Wants to Win
Jan 2, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) put up a shot against Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone
Following the loss to the Nets, Giannis had a great deal to say about his disappointment that not everyone seemed to want to fight back to win after they had fallen down by a large margin (again).
When asked about his new NBA record, he completely brushed it off.
“I didn’t know that, no,” Giannis said about breaking Shaq’s and Williamson’s record. “I just want to win. I play to win. And this is my motto all year long: I will do anything, I care about nothing, just trying to built in my mind that the only thing that matter is winning. And that’s what I’ve been able to achieve this year and every time I step on the floor, I try to win.
“And when we lose, I don’t like it. And the next game, I try to go out there and win. I don’t care about accolades, I don’t care about stats, I don’t care about percentages. I want to win.”
It is no coincidence that when Giannis started the fourth quarter on the bench, the Bucks fell further behind the Nets. It is also no coincidence that when he checked back in, Milwaukee proceeded to go on a 20-0 run to get within a point.
While the outcome of the game was not what the Bucks or their fans wanted, it was very inspirational to see Giannis, once again, basically will the team back into the game. Hopefully more players start adopting his attitude because the effort of many stars was noticeably lacking.
After all, there is a reason that Pat Connaughton and MarJon Beauchamp, the two players who play the least on the roster, got significant fourth quarter minutes on Thursday night.
