Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 137-134 win over Washington Wizards
Rough night for the MVP
As Middleton took on the torch of leading the Bucks to victory, it was superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo who had to watch on from the bench.
That was thanks to Antetokounmpo fouling out of his fourth game of the season and that obviously shortened what was a frustrating night for the 25-year-old. Despite the nature of some of the fouls he picked up and the theatrics of Wizards center Mo Wagner, Antetokounmpo’s final foul was as blatant as they come as he pushed off of Wagner as he tried to gain separation to set up a screen for Bledsoe in the fourth quarter.
Outside of his night coming to an untimely end, Antetokounmpo’s numerous turnovers came as a result of some errant passes that were made in the face of the Wizards’ strong defensive pressure. The Bucks sought ways to free him up for easier opportunities and his pick-and-roll chemistry with Middleton was starting to heat up before Antetokounmpo bowed out with his sixth foul.
All in all, Antetokounmpo posted 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field (6-for-8 from the line), 14 rebounds, eight turnovers, six fouls, two assists, one block and was a +14 in nearly 25 minutes of run.
The question will be how Antetokounmpo will take out his frustrations on the Raptors Tuesday night and all Bucks fans will look forward to what his response looks like following a tough performance last night.