"A win is a win" - Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to the Milwaukee Bucks’ scrambling win against the Orlando Magic
It wasn’t pretty, but the Milwaukee Bucks’ 118-114 win over the Orlando Magic still left Giannis Antetokounmpo happy.
“It doesn’t really matter all the time if it’s ugly. What matters is being able to build good habits,” Antetokounmpo said.
Up and down game
There were only six minutes left in the third quarter when Milwaukee surged to its biggest lead in the game at 15. The Bucks, however, slacked off and allowed the Magic to move within two points in the game’s final nine minutes.
But Giannis liked how the Bucks responded when the Magic rallied, as they put in the needed points in the closing minutes to seal their 15th-straight win at home.
“There were times that we built good habits but today, there were times that we didn’t. Being sloppy, was not in the right position. I think a lot of the shots we took there were very difficult. We have to be able to create easy shots, more high percentage shots for our team,” said Giannis, who finished with 37 points, ten rebounds, and six assists in the win.
Giannis scored Milwaukee’s final four points, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line to ice the victory for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo said that as Milwaukee struggled in some stretches, it helped that it had players who had the ability to create their own shots. And that’s what saved the Bucks against the Magic.
“At the end of the day, we have great players in our team like Brook (Lopez), guarded by two people in the paint and still able to finish the play. Bobby (Portis), same. Dame (Lillard) might be double-teamed and still able to get off for..shoot a three. Might look like a low percentage shot, but at the end of the day, he’s so talented that he makes it a high percentage shot,” said Giannis.
Delivering in the clutch
Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley acknowledged that Milwaukee has players who have the ability to make shots when it matters the most.
“The Bucks have two big-time players who made big-time plays down the stretch,” Mosley said, referring to Giannis and Dame, who combined for five points in a 9-2 run that put the game away after the Magic had moved within 93-91.
But for Giannis, it doesn’t matter how the Bucks did it, as the most important thing is they ended their six-game homestand with a win.
“But again, a win is a win,” he concluded.
