Tim Bontemps, ESPN
LAS VEGAS — Giannis Antetokounmpo mentioned the Milwaukee Bucks merely need to be higher then the Indiana Pacers knocked them out of the NBA’s inaugural in-season event Thursday, criticizing the Greenbacks’ inadequency of group or even announcing the staff infrequently is “not organized at all.”
“The talent level we have is incredible,” Antetokounmpo mentioned then placing up 37 issues and 10 rebounds in Milwaukee’s 128-119 loss to Indiana right here at T-Cell Area. “But we have to be more organized.”
“I feel like sometimes we’re not organized at all. We don’t know what we try to get from our offense, or sometimes defensively we’re not sprinting back. We don’t shoot a lot of early 3s. At the end of the day, you have to protect the ball. You have to know where the ball is. We had a lot of situations today that they got a lot of dunks, open 3s, early 3s. We have to be better.
“No one goes to come up with not anything. Like infrequently I believe like we think simply because we have now stunning gamers in the market, that Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner or Aaron Nesmith, any individual is not only going to offer us the sport. Like, refuse. We need to be higher. We need to walk in the market and tug it. You understand on the finish of the era, I believe we’re stunning gamers, but when we don’t walk in the market and compete, they aren’t moving to admire us. They performed their absolute best in opposition to us.”
That was certainly true Thursday night. After the Bucks scored 43 points in the third quarter, including a 27-9 run to begin the half to reassert control of the game, Haliburton and the Pacers responded, including a 9-2 run late in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Bucks coach Adrian Griffin shouldered the blame, saying it’s on him to help his team execute better late in games.
“I’ve were given to do a greater task of having them into some sure units ill, you realize, overdue sport,” he said. “However we put ourselves ready [to win]. The primary part was once rocky. We made some just right changes, however we’ve were given to alike out within the fourth quarter, which we’ve carried out rather well. We simply couldn’t take it off this night.”
Antetokounmpo had a different take. Asked if his criticism of the team’s lack of organization was directed at the players, coaches or both, he said it’s on the players to get the job done, no matter what the coaches are telling them to do.
“The gamers play games the sport,” he said. “We play games the sport, you realize? Coaches can say no matter they need to say and put us within the place to achieve success, and also you hope that they do this for you. However you’ve were given to produce the performs, you realize? Like, you don’t spring again on protection, it’s now not the coaches’ fault you don’t dash again. If you happen to’re now not ready to explode ill the stretch and also you flip the ball over and also you throw it for your opponent’s arms, it’s now not the coaches’ fault. You simply need to tug that.”
Haliburton had another strong night, putting up 27 points, 15 assists and no turnovers, while Turner had 26 points and 10 rebounds. But as great as they were, Antetokounmpo said it was Indiana’s bench that won the game.
Ultimately, Antetokoumpo said, the Bucks have to get to work correcting their flaws after flying home to Milwaukee on Friday and having the weekend to prepare for the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
“On the finish of the era, I felt like their bench kicked our butts,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s easy. I noticed the stat sheet. I normally don’t take a look at the stat sheet, however I take a look at the stat sheet, they do it method higher than us.
“We have to address it. We have three days now until Monday that we play Chicago at home. We have to get on the court. We have to get in the film room. We have to talk as a team and hopefully we can expedite our chemistry. It’s not about the coach. It’s like we have to get better. It’s on us now. We have the talent, we have the experience. It’s on us. We know it’s on us.”
