Bucks win has extra meaning for Giannis: ‘I don’t forget things’
MILWAUKEE — Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the 121-111 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday carries some extra significance, but only because the Knicks swept the Bucks in the series last season.
In fact, New York beat Milwaukee 3-0 in the 2024-25 season, winning those games by an average of 22 points, which is what Antetokounmpo had in mind entering this game.
“They were better than us last year, and we didn’t make things difficult for them,” Antetokounmpo said after scoring 37 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and providing 7 assists. “It was very easy in my opinion. As captain of this team, I remember. I don’t forget things, and I try, from early on in the penalty shootout, to set the tone for the team and try to remind them, last year they swept us.”
Milwaukee’s struggles extended to each of the Eastern Conference’s top teams a season ago, going 0-9 against the top three seeds in the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Knicks. But the Bucks took a different approach on Tuesday, rallying from a 14-point first-half deficit to clinch a resurgent win.
Antetokounmpo led the team in the third quarter, during which he scored 14 points and provided four assists to lead the Bucks to beat the Knicks 35-20. After one sequence midway through the third period, Antetokounmpo blocked a layup attempt from Mikal Bridges and then nailed a layup on the other end of the floor. As Antetokounmpo walked onto the court, he pointed to himself and pointed to the crowd.
“This is my city. I love hard times,” Antetokounmpo recalled saying. “I thrive when it’s hard. When you make it hard, I thrive.”
Antetokounmpo, who became the first player in league history with at least 30 points on 60% shooting or better in each of his first four games of the season, will add that it didn’t have any deeper meaning beyond the message and that it was in the heat of the moment.
Antetokounmpo was linked to the Knicks after a report over the summer from ESPN’s Shams Charania that Antetokounmpo considered New York the only destination he wanted to play for outside of Milwaukee. The two sides engaged in short trade talks that did not gain any interest.
However, Antetokounmpo didn’t want to delve into too much offseason speculation on Tuesday, saying his focus was on basketball and the Bucks’ next game against the visiting Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
“What matters now is that we have a game in two days against Golden State,” he said. “Try to stay closed and get two in a row.”