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

No Giannis, big problem for Milwaukee.

© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

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