Giannis Rips Bucks’ Effort in Blowout Loss vs. Knicks, Says Team Didn’t ‘Compete’

Frustration is mounting for Giannis Antetokounmpo after a 116-94 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night dropped the Milwaukee Bucks’ record to 2-7 to start the season.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the two-time MVP said the Bucks didn’t “compete” and called out their effort against the Knicks:

“Did we compete the previous game? Yes. Did we compete the two [games before that]? Yes. Did we compete today? No. … If you don’t compete your ass off, you’re not going to win the game. [You have to] at least give yourself a chance.

“We came to New York after playing great last night. Then we come here and lose by 30. Are you OK with not competing? I’m not OK with that s—. We’ve got Boston in two days. We don’t compete, we’re going to lose by 30.”

The Bucks were playing the second night of a back to back after defeating the Utah Jazz on Thursday. They had one of their best outings of the season in that game with Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combining for 65 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.

Granted, the Jazz are arguably the worst team in the NBA right now. For a Bucks team that has been looking for any signs of life, though, it could have been spun as the start of something positive going forward.

Instead, the Knicks made the Bucks look like most of their opponents have this season. All five Knicks starters scored in double figures, led by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 32 points.

One thing that has stood out all season and made abundantly clear again on Friday night is the Bucks don’t have a shot if Antetokounmpo and Lillard aren’t lighting up the stat sheet.

Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but his struggles from the free-throw line are becoming alarming. He went 2-of-6 from the charity stripe against the Knicks, lowering his success rate for the season to a career-low 54.9 percent on 10.3 attempts per game.

Lillard had his second-lowest scoring game of the season with 19 points. He shot 6-of-15 from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts. The other three starters combined for 13 points and no one attempted more than five shots.

If the Bucks are waiting for Khris Middleton to return from offseason surgery on both ankles to save their season, things aren’t looking good. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday that the three-time All-Star has yet to be cleared for five-on-five scrimmages and will remain out indefinitely.

The Bucks’ 2-7 record is tied with the Toronto Raptors for the third-worst mark in the NBA. Things won’t get easier for them in their next game when they host the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.