Giannis Antetokounmpo drops eye-opening take on wild comeback vs. Pacers
12/31/2024 11:44 PM
Giannis Antetokounmpo overcame a quiet first half with just four points, finishing with 30 points and 12 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks mounted a comeback from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Indiana Pacers 120-112 on Tuesday.
The Greek Freak giving credit to Doc Rivers
When asked why the team didn't give up after trailing by 19 just five minutes into the third quarter, Antetokounmpo explained the impact of head coach Doc Rivers, “Doc. Doc. He said the same thing he said in Brooklyn. Gotta fight through this one. Just gotta fight through this one. Keep on fighting through this one. They’re going to let us back in the game. And like when a coach says that and then you start fighting and you see it goes from 19 to 15. And then it goes to 11. And then it goes to 7. And then it goes…it just keeps giving you that dopamine hit."
Antetokounmpo, who had been sidelined for the previous three games with a non-COVID illness, took charge in the second half as the Bucks trailed 83-64 in the third quarter. The NBA’s leading scorer shot 11 of 20 from the field and 8 of 13 from the free-throw line, in addition to recording five assists.
"And you’re like, ‘OK, fight a little bit more. Fight a little bit more.” And all of a sudden, you look up and it’s a tie game. And now when you’re there, you’re like, “We should just win the game. We’re already here. We should just play a little bit more hard. Two, three more minutes, play good team basketball and win the game.’ And that’s what we did," Giannis Antetokounmpo continued.
With everything that's been going wrong for the Bucks in the last week, I asked Giannis Antetokounmpo why the team didn't fold when they went down by 19 five minutes into the third quarter.
His answer: https://t.co/dyqkWE8dh9pic.twitter.com/l4MuCQ1dRA
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 31, 2024
Brook Lopez contributed 16 points for Milwaukee, Khris Middleton chipped in with 15 points, while Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr. each added 14.
Damian Lillard contributed only nine points but gave the Bucks the lead for good with a 3-pointer, putting them ahead 107-104 with 5:17 left.
Benedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 25 points, while Pascal Siakam added 20. Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 12 points, struggled with his shooting, making just 3 of his 13 attempts.
The Bucks waking up in the second half
The first half was a struggle on offense. The Bucks had significant shooting woes, while Indiana dealt with turnover problems. The Pacers closed the second quarter with a run, taking a 64-53 lead into halftime. Milwaukee made just 4 of 20 from beyond the arc in the half.
In the third quarter, Indiana pushed their lead to 19 points with a 19-11 run. But then, they went scoreless for over four minutes, giving Milwaukee the chance to fight back into the game.
Just when it seemed the Bucks were headed for a third consecutive loss, they launched a 12-0 run, trimming a large deficit to three points as the final quarter began.
The Bucks evened the score at 99 with 7:22 remaining, as Antetokounmpo found his rhythm after a sluggish start. The game remained tight until Milwaukee surged ahead at 107-104, marking their first lead since the opening quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo sealed the win with a jumper and a free throw. He tallied 26 of his 30 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee went up 2-0 against Indiana this season, with two more games scheduled between the division rivals.
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