Giannis Antetokounmpo is desperate in Milwaukee…

Twelve minutes. That’s how long it took the Thunder to take off against Milwaukee. After only one quarter, Oklahoma City already had a twenty-point advantage. Especially because Giannis Antetokounmpo was perfectly contained by the Thunder’s defense, holding only one shot during this first act.

An unsuccessful start to the match that did not make Doc Rivers happy. “I think the Thunder defended Giannis well, but we couldn’t find him in his spots, but that’s what we worked on today. Those twelve minutes made the difference. We talk about ball circulation in practice and we come into the game and our offense is one pass, one shot. We played the way OKC wanted.”

Over the next few minutes, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s teammates were never able to find him so he could turn the tide.

The 2021 Finals MVP ends up taking just 11 shots and, for the third time this season, falls short of the twenty-point mark, finishing with 18. Not enough to prevent a heavy defeat for his team (102-122).

“I’m not the type of guy to shout at the ball, I’ve never done that in my career.” Giannis Antetokounmpo assured. “But I played with teammates who realized that I can make plays, either for myself or for them, to make the team play well. My coaches talk to me and explain to me that there is a white swan theory and a black swan theory. They tell me that I need to be a black swan and look for the ball more. It’s something I’ve never done, so maybe I need to do more.

Lack of cohesion

This duel against the Thunder is not an isolated act. Over Milwaukee’s last four games, Giannis Antetokounmpo is attempting, on average, 12 shots per evening down from 16.5 since the start of the season, and still has a 64% success rate. These offensive problems are reflected in the record of the Bucks, who have won just one of their last five games. Milwaukee is stuck in 11th place in the East, while Atlanta, 10th, suffered a four-game losing streak before righting things in win against the Grizzlies this wednesday.

“We don’t play hard and we don’t play to win” The Bilwaukee Star from Milwaukee. “We don’t play together and we don’t have any chemistry. Guys are selfish and try to do their own thing. When we’re down 10, 15 or 20 points, we try to solve everything at once, but it doesn’t work like that. We have to play possession after possession, especially against teams like OKC, San Antonio or Minnesota. We have to play 8 minutes to 4 minutes. Find the best possible shot and don’t make the first possible shot.

To try to get a bit of a leg up, the Bucks will host the Nuggets, who are coming off a loss Nikola Jokic this Friday and the Mavericks, who are playing without Anthony Davisthis week.