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Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Reveals Biggest Reason For Season Turnaround

Courtney Tate

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The Milwaukee Bucks are back on the rise carrying the momentum of Saturday night’s NBA Cup semi-final win into the championship game on Tuesday. The Bucks now sit at 14-11 after a rocky start to the season losing eight of their first ten matchups.

The recent improvement has been driven by standout performances from star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with developing a newfound chemistry between himself and seven-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard.

Following the Bucks’ big win to advance to the NBA Cup championship game, Giannis credited his team’s development and growth saying there’s more trust between the group.

“We trust one another now, we play together. There's no more hero-ball. I think in the beginning of the season we tried to do it by ourselves,” Antetokounmpo continued. “The moment we figured out we have to play as a team, we got to move the ball as a team, we got to play together, we've changed our season around but we've got to keep going. The job's not done so far, we got 55 games left. We just got to keep playing together, and hopefully we can keep getting better.”

Milwaukee has now won 12 of their last 15 matchups, showcasing their ability to close out games and find a rhythm on both ends of the floor. The Bucks are now positioned in 6th place in the Eastern Conference and are well within reach of continuing to climb the ladder as the season continues.

The Bucks now face a serious challenge in the NBA Cup Finals, as they prepare for the best team in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder features MVP candidate Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, who has just been automatic this season offensively, along with a versatile supporting cast like Jalen Williams.

Milwaukee will rely on their experience following behind the veteran leadership of their two stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Bucks will also need to use their physicality to slow Oklahoma City down and control the pace of the game.

Antetokounmpo commented on his team’s defensive effort following Saturday’s matchup against the Hawks saying he feels like everyone is a little more comfortable, helping them get to their spots quicker and come up with some big-time stops. This will be critical to ensure a win against the Thunder on Tuesday.

“We got stops, that was the most important thing down the stretch. . .they were feeling very comfortable getting to their spots. We were able to disrupt their offense,” Antetokounmpo said. “Offensively for us, we were moving the ball, we were playing team basketball getting to our spots.”

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Courtney Tate
COURTNEY TATE

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