'We Were Asleep': How Spurs' Slow Start Led to Victor(y)-Less Outing vs. Bucks

The San Antonio Spurs never gave themselves a legitimate shot to knock off the Milwaukee Bucks without Victor Wembanyama after a horrid start put them in a hole too deep to climb out of.

SAN ANTONIO — Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of the players that Victor Wembanyama studied the most entering the NBA. 

It makes sense. Before the Milwaukee Bucks' frontman became the 7-foot monster on the court known as the "Greek Freak," he was a rookie from Greece with a slender frame and a long way to go before he could be considered a star.

Just because he hadn't achieved stardom, however, didn't mean his potential wasn't there. He started around 30 percent of his games as a rookie and was given the green flag to showcase his potential after being taken by Milwaukee with the No. 15 pick in the 2013 Draft — though it wasn't until his fourth season that he began to not only fill out his own body but the stat sheet as well. 

Antetokounmpo got bigger, and as he did, he began to dominate both the boards and his smaller defenders. His game evolved and the power forward became a two-way sensation; a two-time MVP and an NBA champion. 

Wembanyama isn't there yet. 

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks against the San Antonio Spurs / © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The rookie still has a long way to go before he's up there with the likes of someone like Antetokounmpo. He's got the hang of scoring down, but that's in large part due to the difference of situations. 

Where Antetokounmpo had to adjust to playing alongside already-established players like Brandon Knight, Ramon Sessions and even Ersan Ilyasova, Wembanyama is the player that his teammates are adapting to.

He's got a ways to go frame-wise if he wants to become the muscled monster that Antetokounmpo is, but at the same time, his mobility at his size is something unique to him. 

The difference in situation between Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo, however, hasn't stopped the rookie from studying his fellow foreign power forward.

“I love the way he is playing because he is always aggressive and he is scary for his opponents,” Wembanyama told media ahead of what was supposed to be his first matchup against the Bucks' frontman. “I am really trying to take a lot of examples from him.”

The stage was set again — just two games following Wembanyama's first meeting with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers — for another big-time face-off between two of the league's stars. Milwaukee was set to host, Wembanyama was set to play and Antetokounmpo was set to do this thing to will the Bucks to victory. 

But only two of those three things came true Tuesday night. 

No Wembanyama ended up looming over the San Antonio Spurs as they prepared to face one of the league's more established teams fresh off of adding a superstar in Damian Lillard to its roster. The NBA world would have to wait a few more weeks before watching both 7-footers duke it out, but as disappointed as they might have been to hear the news, so, too, was the Spurs rookie. 

“I think Victor [was] frustrated he [couldn't] play,” San Antonio center Zach Collins said. “I can’t speak for him, but he’s a competitor. He wanted to be out there.”

The Spurs certainly missed Wembanyama against the Bucks, but not for the reason's you'd think. They outscored Milwaukee in the paint by a considerable amount on top of grabbing more rebounds. They even made as many shots from the charity stripe as the Bucks had attempts, so it wasn't a size issue — Collins made sure of that. 

It was simply a poor start. A game-opening sequence that sunk San Antonio's chances at winning halfway through the first period.

Dec 19, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) drives for a layup  against the San Antonio Spurs at Fiserv Forum / © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Collins got things started for the Spurs with a quick jump shot off of a Jeremy Sochan assist. One basket wasn't any sign of what was to come, but it was a good start ... for about 45 seconds.

Antetokounmpo matched San Antonio with a close shot of his own, and by time two minutes had passed, it was 7-2 in favor of the Bucks. And then it was 11-3. Then 15-3.

"We were just asleep for probably the first four minutes," Collins said. "It didn’t help that we couldn’t hit a shot, but I just think our mindset from the jump wasn’t good. We have to be more professional and start games better." 

At the halfway point of the first period, Milwaukee had a 21-3 lead on its visitors and it wasn't done yet. Thanks to Damian Lillard's 19 points in the first frame, the Spurs gave up the most points they had all season in the first 12 minutes — tied with the Indiana Pacers, who ended up tallying North of 150 points in a blowout win — and found themselves in a deep hole. 

One too deep for them to climb out of.

San Antonio tried its best to make the most of the poor start. A balanced attack from Cedi Osman, Collins and Devin Vassell brought it within 13 points in the middle of the second quarter, as did several made shots from Keldon Johnson which garnered the small forward a lot of praise for his double-double performance.

"That's how he plays," Collins said of his teammate. "He’s a bulldog. A freight train, man. He always plays with a lot of energy. No matter what the score is."

As ferocious as Johnson played, it wasn't enough on its own to overpower Milwaukee. After a short run before halftime, the Bucks responded — like they had all game — and prevented the Spurs from cutting the lead down any further, taking that amount of lead to intermission. 

The end of the second quarter and beyond proved to be more competitive. The Spurs managed to give Milwaukee a scare toward the end of the game, though not one enough to make it a nail-biting victory, and played more true to their own potential, even without their rookie headliner. 

And that was enough for Popovich to deem the loss a minor success. 

"After that [first quarter], I thought we played a pretty-good game," he said. "At the start of the game, we looked like a deer in the headlights. We weren’t aggressive at all, and they came at us with such a barrage offensively that I think we got down. 

"But there were a lot of good things to look at."

That's been the story for the Spurs so far: lots of positives to look at at, but even more losses. Plenty of young talent, but plenty of "rookie" mistakes. 

Lillard Shines As Spurs Fall to Bucks For 2nd Straight Loss

San Antonio's potential has been a double-edged sword all season long, and its game against Milwaukee was no exception. The Spurs will continue to trudge along their campaign and will likely keep struggling to find wins, but that's the beauty of their camaraderie. They'll stick with one another through thick and thin. Wins and losses.

And they can rest easy knowing their fervent coach will be with them, too. 

"It is a challenge," Popovich said of coaching such a young team. "It's exciting and a meaningful challenge in the sense that I feel a great responsibility to those guys. If I can be around when we're winning, I sure as hell can stick around when we're losing."

The Spurs are back in action Thursday night against the Chicago Bulls, once again looking for a road win to start getting back on track. 

Tipoff from United Center is set for 7 p.m. CST.