Bucks' Doc Rivers Had Surprising Reaction to Giannis Antetokounmpo's Night vs Pistons

Matt Levine | Nov 15, 2024

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

When the Milwaukee Bucks needed it most, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped up for his team. On Wednesday night, the Bucks looked like they were going to drop another frustrating game, this time to the Detroit Pistons.

But Antetokounmpo had other ideas and willed his team to a much-needed win. He scored 59 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out seven assists to help them grab the comeback victory.

This includes himself scoring 22 of the Bucks' 24 points in the first quarter. While his performance was indeed special, head coach Doc Rivers had a surprising reaction to it at first.

“It’s funny how a coach thinks though,” Rivers said. “We called a timeout and I’m thinking, ‘OK, Giannis has 22 of our 24. This ain’t good.’ I’m thinking the exact opposite. We gotta figure out how to get someone else involved in this game. … And then after the game, you realize how special that is.

“But during the game, you’re in a panic because you’re thinking that can’t stay. And then other guys joined in and that was great for us.”

Rivers likely wanted to see others take the reigns to help his star out but after the fact, he was able to see the big picture. It was a special night for Antetokounmpo and brought Milwaukee to a 4-8 record for the season.

“His handprint was all over the game,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo. “When you think about all the scoring, when you think about having the scoring off the floor that we had — no Dame, no Khris Middleton, no Bobby Portis, no Ryan (Rollins), so we’re down to one living point guard on our team — for him to do that and for us to score 127 points, though he got half of them almost, every basket was needed.”

It's been a tough go for the Bucks to start but Antetokounmpo has been incredible all year. Through 11 games played, he is averaging 33.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.

The veteran has been the catalyst for the Bucks to start the year and they will need him to continue performing well if they want to turn the year around. Milwaukee takes on the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, another winnable game that could help them find their way back to a place of contention.

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