Bucks Zone

Giannis Antetokounmpo on how the Milwaukee Bucks have set a standard despite the loss to the Denver Nuggets

"We can definitely defend...there's no excuse for us not to defend."
Jonas Panerio|
© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

Despite suffering a 113-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks' new head coach, Doc Rivers, let his wards know that contrary to what they're hearing about their defense this season, they can defend.

During the postgame press conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks' star player and two-time MVP, echoed his coach's sentiments by stating that there is no excuse for them not to defend moving forward, especially after holding their own against the Nuggets' powerhouse, Nikola Jokic.

Made Jokic work

A look at the box score will indicate that the Nuggets' stars got their numbers, with Jokic getting a triple-double of 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Jamal Murray put up 35 markers. However, a closer look reveals that Jokic took 25 shots to get his points while the other Nuggets were held in check.

Giannis credited the coaching staff's game plan and his teammates' effort for helping them go toe-to-toe with the defending champions.

"At the end of the day, the game plan is one thing, but our effort has always gotta be there," Giannis shared.

"I think we have very, very smart players that are on the team and sometimes when the game plan is not as accurate, our effort might not be there. And that's not good. That's bad. But whenever we come together as a team and we realize we have to stop a guy as a team or we have to stop the team from playing fast, from getting a lot of open threes, from driving. When we come together as a team, we can definitely do it."

Maintain the standard

Giannis liked what he saw from their defense against the Nuggets and hopes to see the same intensity on that end of the floor as the Bucks' road trip continues with a match against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"In order for you to win at a high level, there's got to be a standard. At the end of the day, I think we set the standard as a team. Hopefully, moving forward, we can defend the same way. There's going to be a lot of games that we're going to win, and we're going to blow out teams, and there's going to be a lot of games that are going to be close that we have to let our habits we built throughout the year take over. And sometimes, just our talent is going to take over," Antetokounmpo continued.

"But as I said, we set the standard today. We can definitely defend. Moving forward, I don't see, there's no excuse for us not to defend."

What we learned from the Milwaukee Bucks' loss to the Denver Nuggets

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO