Giannis Antetokounmpo Says Bucks 'Playoff' Win vs Nuggets Got Team Back on Track

The Bucks superstar thinks this could be the turning point in their season.

Feb 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) grabs a rebound against Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are trying very hard to get the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. That would give them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

They have been chasing the Pacers for that spot for a while. After the Pacers lost on Friday night, the Bucks were able to jump them in a tiebreaker for that fourth spot.

Milwaukee was able to get into that spot after taking down the Nuggets on Thursday night 121-112. It was a really good win for them.

The Nuggets have been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA over the last couple of weeks, so winning that game should give the Bucks a lot of confidence.

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In fact, Giannis Antetokounmpo essentially confirmed how big of a win that is for this team. Following the win, he told reporters exactly how big the win was for the team.

"I think overall we competed as a team," Antetokounmpo said. "It was a high-energy game, it was almost a playoff game I felt like. And we were locked in. We were locked in from this morning. We came in one hour before shootaround, went through our plays, then we stayed 45 minutes after shootaround and went through their plays. We were locked in this whole morning. I think we came to the game, we were locked in. At times we played well, at times we didn't. But overall, I'll say that it was playoff atmosphere, playoff win, and we got back on track after the game we lost against Houston.”

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The Bucks are going to have to keep winning games if they want to keep that spot. Despite the loss to the Heat on Friday night, the Pacers still have one of the best records in the league since January 1.

Milwaukee is going to have to fight Indiana for that spot for the rest of the season. Antetokounmpo thinks this is the kind of win that can propel them to go on a big run.

So far this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.

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