Bucks Zone

Giannis Antetokounmpo preaches for better ball movement after Milwaukee's 35-point loss to Sacramento

Giannis wants the Bucks to attack double-teaming defense better.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
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Giannis Antetokounmpo knew exactly what went wrong when the Milwaukee Bucks lost badly to the Sacramento Kings, 94-129, on Tuesday night.

Giannis said their failure to move the ball well caused their downfall, saying the Bucks did not react well to the Kings’ double-teaming defense.

Milwaukee must read the defense well

Damian Lillard getting blitzed or Giannis drawing multiple defenders in the post has been a common occurrence this season. Antetokounmpo said the Bucks have to do a better job of attacking the opposing squad’s double-teaming defense.

“Gotta move the ball, but...I get it. I get why it’s happening. Especially, for example, when you get double-teamed every single time in the post, you want to play. You want to impact the game. You cannot just be passive and just passing the ball. You gotta impact the game in a way. Sometimes you gotta beat the double team. Sometimes, you gotta make something happen. When they’re blitzing Dame every single time, sometimes he’s going to hold the ball, try to see if he can find a crack, try to make something happen. I get why it’s happening,” said Giannis.

Dismal shooting led to the blowout loss

Milwaukee’s poor ball movement showed in the stats, as it only had 23 assists, while Sacramento had 34. Milwaukee also did not make Sacramento pay for sending two defenders to its two superstars by not hitting its shots. The Bucks just made 30 of their 82 attempts from the field, while the Kings shot 53% from the field after going 49-for-92.

Giannis is hoping that the Bucks will make the necessary adjustments in the next games. They went 1-3 in the four-game California trip and will next face the Philadelphia Sixers on Thursday at home.

“We’re going to see to see that in the next game, we’re gonna play in the playoffs. We gotta be able to beat the teams from the post when they double-team us. We gotta be able to beat teams when they blitz us. Find the right outlets, guys get to the middle of the floor, try to spray it out to the corners, guys making shots. You have to find ways to be effective no matter what the defense does,” Giannis said.

A report asks a crucial question with the NBA Playoffs on the horizon: When will the Giannis-Dame two-man game flourish consistently?

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.