Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed frustration with his teammates' effort and selfishness following a 122-102 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He highlighted poor chemistry and a lack of team play in the defeat. Antetokounmpo finished with just 19 points on 11 shots, his third-lowest total this season.
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a decisive 122-102 defeat to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, extending their struggles with a 4-6 record over the last 10 games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 40 points in the easy victory, underscoring Oklahoma City's status as the NBA's top team this season.
Post-game, Antetokounmpo was vocal about the team's issues. "We're not playing hard," he said. "We're not playing to win. We're not playing together. Our chemistry is not there. Guys are being selfish. Guys will try to look for their own shot instead of looking for the right shot for the team. At times I feel like when we're down 10, 15, 20 [points], we tried to make it up in one play... You got to know that you have to compete for 48 minutes."
Antetokounmpo, who took only 11 shots and scored 19 points, noted his reduced role. He is averaging his fewest touches per game since the Bucks' 2021 championship season, when the offense flowed freely with contributions from Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. On the current roster, where Kevin Porter Jr. is the second-leading scorer, defenses are overloading Antetokounmpo, limiting him to 13 or fewer shots in each of his last four games.
"I'm not the guy that will yell and cuss his teammates out and demand the ball," Antetokounmpo added. "I've never done that in my career, but I feel like I've played with teammates that kinda understand the gravity that I can cause for our team... But maybe for some reason -- I don't understand. Maybe because we're young, maybe because we're not playing well."
The Bucks, sitting seven games below .500 and as the No. 11 seed in the East with a -3.5 net rating, are active in the trade market seeking upgrades like Zach LaVine or Ja Morant. However, trading Antetokounmpo remains unlikely before the deadline due to his $54.1 million salary and his reluctance to demand a move. With 39 games left, Antetokounmpo emphasized overcoming adversity through film study and hard work, though time is short for a turnaround.
