Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 126-116 during Wednesday’s NBA action. This win was a much-needed boost for the team following the recent firing of their coach, Adrian Griffin, the previous day.
Antetokounmpo showcased his exceptional talent by achieving his third triple-double in four games, significantly ending the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak. He scored an impressive 35 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and provided 10 assists, marking his seventh triple-double of the season. This performance was nearly his fourth consecutive triple-double, following a close 31 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in a recent game against Detroit.
Reflecting on the departure of Griffin, Antetokounmpo emphasized the team’s focus on unity and moving forward despite the emotional challenge.
“For a coach like Griff, from Day 1, everything was about togetherness,” Antetokounmpo said. “He was always leading this group into the direction we set at the beginning of the year. Him not being here, at the end of the day, we’re humans. It hurts everybody. But we’ve got to keep on moving forward. We have a goal in our head, which is to be the best basketball team that we can be.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
Griffin’s firing was a surprise given his successful 30-13 record in his first season. In the interim, Joe Prunty, previously an assistant coach, took over the team’s coaching duties while negotiations with Doc Rivers for the head coach position were underway.
Damian Lillard, who contributed 28 points in the game, highlighted the team’s experience in handling such challenging situations and their focus on the game against a formidable opponent. Prunty, familiar with stepping in during challenging times, had previously led the Bucks during a playoff series and stepped in for Atlanta last season.
“I think our experience really worked in our favor in this situation,” Lillard said. “We’ve all experienced a lot of things. I think this was different for everybody, but I think we just understood we had a game tonight, and it was going to be a tough game against a really good team that kind of handled us the last time we played them.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
The Bucks, holding the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, demonstrated significant improvement in their defensive play compared to their performance under Griffin. Their last loss with Griffin was notably a 135-95 defeat at Cleveland.
“It’s not easy, but you do have a job to do,” Prunty said. “That’s one of the things that we talked about as a team, just talked about, ‘Look, we still have responsibilities. We still have roles. We still have jobs that we have to do on the court.’ So you just do. You move forward. But it’s not easy. It really isn’t.”
The game against the Cavaliers saw the Bucks taking an early lead, which they maintained despite Cleveland’s recent strong performance. The Cavaliers never managed to gain the upper hand in the game.
“They are a prideful team,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of the Bucks. “There’s champions over there in that locker room. So we did expect their intensity to be lifted today. Give them credit. They played well.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
Khris Middleton also made a significant contribution with 24 points for the Bucks. Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points for the Cavaliers, with Jarrett Allen adding 21 points and 12 rebounds. Other notable contributors included Georges Niang, Max Strus, Sam Merrill, and Isaac Okoro.
The Cavaliers faced a setback with the absence of Tristan Thompson, who received a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. The teams are set to meet again in Milwaukee on Friday.
