Bucks' Giannis Anteokounmpo Offers Bold Take Following Blowout Loss to Cavs

The Bucks' best player had an interesting choice of words following a big loss to the Cavaliers.

Dec 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Coming off a win in the NBA Cup Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks felt good heading into their matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bucks were playing like one of the best teams in the entire NBA. Beating the top team in the East would have given them even more confidence.

Instead, they got blown out by the Cavs. They lost 124-101 to Cleveland in a game that wasn't really close in the fourth quarter. The Bucks' best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, had 33 points and 14 rebounds. He was by far the best player on the court for either team, but it didn't matter.

Damian Lillard was out of this game due to injury. When he doesn't play, this Bucks team is much worse. They are a lot easier to beat. Following the big loss to the Cavs, Antetokounmpo had an interesting choice of words directed at his fellow superstar.

"The number one thing is for Dame to be healthy," Antetokounmpo said. "I think when we are a healthy team we are a totally different team, we are a team to be scared of. But there's no thought in my head of 'oh, Dame gotta get back quick.' I don't care if we lose five in a row, I really believe in our abilities.

"I believe that no matter where we end up in the East we have a chance to compete when we're healthy. And that's our No. 1 opponent the last couple of years. So, right now that's the opponent I'm fighting, we're fighting, it's health. Calf strains are tricky, but time heals every injury, so he's gotta take his time and we have definitely the talent that can step up and hold it down until he comes back."

Antetokounmpo knows how important it is for his co-star to be as healthy as possible at the end of the season. That's the top priority for him right now. As long as Lillard and Antetokounmpo are both healthy when the playoffs start, he feels that they will be fine.

As Antetokounmpo mentioned, calf strains can be tricky sometimes. It could take Lillard a bit longer to come back than he would like. If he is out for an extended period of time, it will be up to Antetokounmpo to carry the load and keep the team afloat while he gets healthy.

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