Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from ugly loss to Washington Wizards
By Dalton Sell
It goes without saying that the Milwaukee Bucks are struggling to start the 2021-22 NBA season as they continue to endure a plague of injuries.
Their woes would continue last night in the nation’s capital as they squared off against a new and improved Washington Wizards team. The game was somewhat close until the end, but the Bucks ultimately suffered their sixth defeat of the season with a 101-94 final score. The defending NBA champions are now two games below .500 throughout the first 10 games of the season, finding themselves in unfamiliar territory early on. Sticking solely with last night’s matchup, let us take a closer look at three notable takeaways.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stuffs the stat sheet, but it is not enough for the Milwaukee Bucks
The multitude of issues on Milwaukee’s roster has placed a larger workload onto the shoulders of Giannis Antetokounmpo as he looks to keep the Bucks afloat. This was precisely the case against the Wizards, but the Greek Freak fell just short of helping his team cross the finish line victorious.
As he tends to do, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in scoring with 29 points, but the vicious Wizards made him fight for every basket. Shooting 12-of-26 from the floor, including 0-of-4 from deep, it was not an efficient night from the field for Antetokounmpo. The Wizards threw a handful of their key players in his direction while playing physical defense to try and throw him off his game. When Antetokounmpo was granted a trip to the free throw line, he also struggled to convert as he shot a mere 5-of-12 on the night.
While Antetokounmpo’s jump shot did not fall with his typical level of regularity, an area where he shined was in the rebounding department. Having hauled in 18 rebounds on the night, Giannis was a force to be reckoned with on the glass, which was much-needed, considering the absence of big man Brook Lopez, who continues to miss time with back soreness. The Bucks got manhandled on the glass in their 113-98 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday, but thanks to Antetokounmpo, the rebounding advantage tipped in their favor on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Antetokounmpo tallied five assists, three steals, and a blocked shot in the defeat. He truly stuffed the stat sheet, but that also included three turnovers and four personal fouls. Aside from his inefficiency on the offensive end, it was another strong performance from the two-time MVP as he takes on an added amount of responsibility. Unfortunately, it did not result in a victory.