Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 134-123 loss to Denver Nuggets

Giannis providing hope

There were spells in the fourth quarter when the crowd were on their feet in the Bradley Center, and it was clear the fans were filled with hope in spite of a double-digit deficit.

The reason for that was Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With Antetokounmpo in tow, Milwaukee’s fans and indeed players know that they have a chance to win games they have no real right to win. Antetokounmpo can be almost like an NBA equivalent of a get out of jail free card.

Giannis couldn’t quite manage to complete an unlikely turnaround for the Bucks in his final game before heading to Los Angeles for All-Star Game festivities, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

While Jokic’s triple-double took it’s rightful place in the history books, Antetokounmpo at least countered with one of his own. Giannis finished with 36 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds and three blocks on 14-of-21 from the field.

That wasn’t enough to grab the win in this game, but Antetokounmpo still produced sequences of play to remind his fans that no deficit is automatically insurmountable when he’s on the court.