Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 138-99 win over Golden State Warriors

Takeaway No. 1 – Supporting cast delivers while Giannis Antetokounmpo struggles

Fresh off Wednesday’s game where he scored 35 points and hauled in 13 rebounds, Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled in Friday’s matchup. The Greek Freak finished with 15 points, having shot 4-of-14 from the field and 0-of-3 from 3-point territory in 26 minutes played. Despite struggling that mightily, the Bucks won the game by nearly a 39-point margin because the supporting cast stepped up.

With the two-time MVP in a slump, Khris Middleton took it upon himself to carry the load for the Bucks. In just 25 minutes, the forward finished the game with 31 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Middleton was not alone with his heroics, as DiVincenzo, Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and Augustin all scored in double figures alongside side he and Antetokounmpo to make this an all-around effort.

Milwaukee scored an astounding 138 points while the two-time MVP scored just 15 points, and that was something Antetokounmpo hit on postgame. The Greek Freak credited his teammates after the game and detailed how good Milwaukee’s new roster is and how good they can become to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard:

"“The Milwaukee Bucks this year, we’re good … we’re better,” Antetokounmpo said after the win. “We have some great guys that we added to the team. They’re playing the right way, and once everything fits in together, we’re going to be good. It’s going to be fun to watch.”"

The Bucks have been criticized oftentimes for being too reliant on Giannis to shoulder the offensive load single handily, and justifiably so. However, seeing Middleton, Holiday, and DiVincenzo keep the team afloat while seeing Antetokounmpo struggle was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air and hopefully a sign of things to come.

With a victory on Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks will look to make it two straight as they travel to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks Sunday night.