Inside The Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo Reacts to Nets Loss, Winless Pre-Season

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 107-97
Joey Linn|
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets picked up their first win of the pre-season on Wednesday, and it came against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. With starters playing increased minutes on both sides, this was an important confidence booster for a Nets group that is still looking to get comfortable with each other, and a tough loss for Milwaukee who ends their pre-season winless.

Leading the way for Brooklyn was Kyrie Irving, who finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kevin Durant added 19 points and 8 assists, while Ben Simmons finished with 7 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds.

Durant and the Nets have been vocal about wanting Simmons to be more aggressive, and while he took just five shots in this game, the passing, rebounding, and defense is always a welcome sight. 

Brooklyn held Giannis Antetokounmpo to just 6/21 from the field, but he did finish with 24 points on an efficient 12/15 from the line. Also adding 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals, it was a solid all-around game for Giannis, despite the inefficient day from the field.

After the game, Giannis shared his thoughts on what was a winless pre-season for the Bucks, ending with this loss to Brooklyn.

"At the end of the day, if we in 2018, 2017, we were 5-0, do you remember? No, you don’t remember. I don’t remember either," Giannis told reporters after Wednesday’s game. "It doesn’t really matter. All that matters is what you can carry over from the preseason to the regular season. We had five games to do that. We had training camp to do that, to build good habits."

The Nets will have one last tune-up against the Minnesota Timberwolves before their regular season begins. This win over the Bucks was a good confidence booster, and they will look for that to carry over into their final pre-season game.

Related Articles:

Rate the Trade: Kyle Kuzma to the Brooklyn Nets

Practice Footage of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons Revealed

New Potential Trade Target For Brooklyn Nets Revealed

Published
Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn32@sbcglobal.net Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis, insight, and reporting Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Receiving a media credential during the 2021-22 season, Joey has experience interviewing NBA players, and developing exclusive stories from these interviews. Having appeared on several different NBA podcasts over the last four seasons, Joey is now hosting his own podcast for The Sporting Tribune. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Now graduated, Joey is covering the NBA full-time across multiple platforms. Credentialed by the Clippers, Joey covers the team daily with articles, podcasts, and video breakdowns on YouTube. With four years of sports media experience, Joey provides expert insight and analysis for NBA fans across the league.

Share on XFollow joeylinn_
Home/News