Bucks Zone

Damian Lillard admits Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence paved the way to Milwaukee's embarrassing loss

No Giannis, big problem for Milwaukee.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The value of Giannis Antetokounmpo was highlighted when the Milwaukee Bucks succumbed to a severe beating at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, 95-135.

Damian Lillard admitted that Giannis’ absence kind of threw the Bucks off, as they never really got into a rhythm on the way to the 40-point loss.

“We felt like we were disrupted by not having Giannis out there. I think how he pulls the defense and the attention that he gets from teams, it kind of just creates an advantage for a lot of things that we’ve done,” Lillard said.

Missing Giannis’ immense value

Antetokounmpo, who sat with a bruised right shoulder, is Milwaukee’s leading scorer, with an average of 31.2 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounding with 11.4 boards per contest.

The Greek Freak is also one of the team’s effective facilitators, as he is second to Lillard when it comes to assists with 5.9 dimes per contest. Those numbers were sorely missed as the Bucks trailed by as many as 47 points.

“Him not being out there, I think we just didn’t execute well around that,” Dame said.

Giannis’ immediate return seen

The loss snapped Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak, but they stayed in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 28-13 slate. It was only the second time this season that Antetokounmpo missed a game this season. The Bucks are 1-1 without Giannis.

Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin assured that Giannis’ injury was nothing serious as he expected the team’s main man to be back soon.

“He went through shootaround, and then prior to the game tonight, he just felt that he couldn’t go. So we’re just being smart. I don’t believe it’s gonna be multiple games. It could be day-to-day for now,” Griffin said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo misses the game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a shoulder injury

Published
Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.