Bucks News: Giannis Antetokounmpo Believes Team is 'Not There' After Dropping to 1-3

The Bucks have now lost three straight games.

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The Milwaukee Bucks proved unable to get back on track against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Monday, and have now dropped to 1-3 on the season. The Bucks held a narrow lead over the Celtics going into the half, but the Celtics rebounded in the third quarter and ran away with the game.

The Bucks have now lost three consecutive games, falling to the Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Chicago Bulls over their last three. Their lone win was a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener.

Despite a third straight loss, the Bucks felt better than they did after the two losses prior. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers felt the team played "relatively well" and saw his team headed in a positive direction.

Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged that they simply aren't at the point the Celtics are, as many of Boston's players have had years to develop a team chemistry that made them a championship-winning club. Of course, two Boston starters — ex-Buck Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis (who is out till at least January) — just joined the team last year, much like Milwaukee All-Star point guard Damian Lillard.

“They’ve been around for years now and you cannot replace that. You cannot,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “You can put the best players together, but just knowing how to play with one another, sacrificing for one another, playing the right way, knowing where your teammates are going to be, knowing who’s going to take over, who has the hot hand — that’s what winning teams do.

Antetokounmpo does believe the Bucks can make it to that point down the road. The team has not even had a full season under Rivers, and Damian Lillard only joined the team just over a season ago. Both Antetokounmpo and Lillard scored 30 or more points against the Celtics, but the Bucks saw limited contributions from their bench and outside of their superstars in general.

“Our goal is to get there," Antetokounmpo said. "Right now, obviously we’re not there, but I don’t think we are far off. I don’t care about the record. I just care about keep on building, keep on being healthy and get to where we want to get.”

The Bucks will get the chance to earn their second win of the season when they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

More Bucks:

Bucks News: Doc Rivers Makes Stunning Defense of Milwaukee's 3rd Straight Loss

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