Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Loss To Dallas Mavericks

Giannis Can’t Be Asked To Do It All On His Own

It’s not going to come as any surprise to you to hear that even in a loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo stole the show in the Bradley Center on Sunday. Some of the Greek’s teammates may have looked a little off their game with the early start, but that wasn’t the case for Antetokounmpo.

Giannis’ 31 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two blocks were the primary reason why the Bucks were in with any chance of winning this game in the first place.

The Mavericks had no answer for Giannis from the opening tip, and if anything it’s somewhat surprising that Antetokounmpo didn’t end up with even more points.

Surprising as it may be, though, there’s a simple explanation for it. As the game progressed the Mavericks made a concerted effort to keep Antetokounmpo away from the rim, and were able to do so with occasional success due to the lackluster performances of some of Giannis’ most important teammates.

The Bucks need more than six points from Greg Monroe, and they need more than 5-15 shooting from Khris Middleton. Giannis is often able to single-handedly win games, but there will be occasions when even at his best, the opposition find an extra gear meaning that the Bucks need more from the rest of their roster.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Best and Worst (March 23 – April 1)

The Bucks have had that more often than not in recent months, but this was one instance when Giannis was forced into battle alone.