The Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Indiana Pacers, 126-124, on Thursday, November 9, despite a monster game from two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetkounmpo.
However, the Milwaukee Bucks score didn't tell the game's whole story. The game saw the ejection of Adrian Griffin in the third quarter after incurring a double technical foul, ESPN reported.
Regardless, this did not frustrate the Bucks, even if they fell short of a win. The 54-point explosion was one point short of Giannis Antetokounmpo's career-high of 55 points set in January this year against the Washington Wizards, Sportsnet reported.
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Here are 5 takeaways from the Bucks vs. Pacers game:
1. Griffin's ejection was costly.
Understandably, Bucks coach Adrian Griffin became more attentive to the calls on Antetokounmpo. This was after the 28-year-old was ejected in their last game against the Pistons for controversial technical fouls.
But without Griffin, the Bucks could have managed the game better in the end. He admitted that he needs to be more careful in the future when he may need to control his emotional side during NBA games.
2. Damian Lillard's absence.
The Bucks' newcomer, Damian Lillard, was not around in their loss to the Pacers. Lillard was dealing with calf soreness. If not for Antetokounmpo's huge game, the Bucks would have lost by a wider margin.
Without Lillard, the Bucks sorely missed his production. The 33-year-old averages 24.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in his first seven games in a Bucks' uniform.
3. Who helped Antetokounmpo?
With Lillard out, the Bucks hardly gave Antetokounmpo scoring help. Only Khris Middleton gave a credible performance, finishing with 19 points and four assists.
Malik Beasley added 13 markers, while Bobby Portis added 11 points.
The Pacers got a better performance from Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner, who had 29, 26, and 21 points, respectively.
4. Bucks failed to defend the perimeter well.
The Pacers got off more shots from beyond the arc, attempting 47 shots and making 20. This was aside from converting 44 of their 92 field goal attempts.
The defense has been suspect for the Bucks since Jrue Holiday was sent to the Boston Celtics. Griffin needs to address this soon, aside from adding more offensive arsenal.
5. Antetokounmpo is getting overworked.
The reason behind getting Lillard was to provide Antetokounmpo help. However, this does not mean the other guys are off the hook.
Brook Lopez was hardly of help, finishing with only 2 points and a rebound. Other guys like Jae Crowder and Cameron Payne could have done better.
Having already played eight games this season, Griffin needs to do something to get other players involved. Antetokounmpo cannot come out and have monster games like this regularly.
Critics will say that the Bucks are still trying to look for chemistry. That is reasonable, although some semblance of the team blending in is needed.
The Bucks face the Orland Magic in their next assignment on Saturday, November 11. Orlando is no pushover and will look to get back on track after losing to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, 120-119.
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