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[Saba Sports News] The Milwaukee Bucks ended a six-game losing streak on Thursday, only to slip back into defeat on Friday night, and Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t happy about it.
Fresh off breaking their longest losing run since 2015, the Bucks suffered a 116-94 blowout against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Antetokounmpo voiced his frustration over the team’s lack of effort.
“Did we compete the previous game? Yes. Did we compete the two before that? Yes. Today? No,” he said via ESPN. “If you don’t go all out, you can’t win. At least give yourself a chance.”
Reflecting on the back-to-back games, he added, “We came to New York after a great game last night, then lost by 30 here. OK with not competing? I’m not. Boston’s up next, and if we don’t compete, we’ll lose by 30.”
The Knicks grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone, frustrating both Antetokounmpo and coach Doc Rivers. They were also critical of the Bucks’ lack of hustle for loose balls, where the Knicks showed more aggression.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to compete,” said Antetokounmpo. “Teams won’t hand us games. Every loose ball, every possession matters. But today, we just didn’t compete.”
Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. The Bucks had 41 rebounds in total, with Damian Lillard as the only other player recording more than five.