Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 107-98 win over Golden State Warriors

Giannis’ night

Bothered by back soreness that led to him showing up on the injury report heading into the night, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo toughed it out through a win that was much harder than it had to be, his performance included.

Playing 32 minutes of action, Antetokounmpo finished with a double-double performance of 30 points on 21 shots (1-for-7 from deep, 9-for-13 from the foul line), 12 rebounds, four assists, three turnovers, one steal, and was a +5 on the night.

Seeing walls of defenders whether he was charging through the paint or looking to operate out of the post, Antetokounmpo had to work significantly to create clean looks for himself and for others. And it led to the reigning MVP coming away with a far less explosive performance than we’ve been accustomed to seeing.

For as many strides as we’ve seen Antetokounmpo take from 3-point range this season, the Warriors were very comfortable with him letting it fly all night, where he made them pay with a rare corner triple early in the first quarter. And Golden State head coach Steve Kerr finally turned to hack-a-Giannis late in the fourth quarter, a strategy that will very likely be a larger trend as the season goes along, and especially in the postseason.

It all ended up working out Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, but the strategy the Warriors deployed in defending the 25-year-old has been a constant sight over the years and seeing how he responds to it will be a continuing storyline this season and beyond.