MILWAUKEE — Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged that Tuesday's 121-111 victory over the New York Knicks had extra meaning, but only because the Knicks swept the Bucks in last season's series.
In fact, New York went 3-0 against Milwaukee in 2024-25, winning those games by an average margin of 22 points, which was on Antetokounmpo's mind entering this game.
“They were much better than us last year and we didn't make it difficult for them,” Antetokounmpo said after scoring 37 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. “In my opinion, it was very easy. And as the leader of this team, I remember that. I don't forget things. And I try, from the beginning in shootaround, to set the tone for the team and try to remind them that they swept us last year.”
Milwaukee's problems extended to each of the Eastern Conference's top teams a season ago, going 0-9 against the top three seeds: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Knicks.
But the Bucks set a different tone Tuesday, rallying from a 14-point first-half deficit to stage a comeback victory.
Antetokounmpo led the charge with a big third quarter, during which he scored 14 points and dished out four assists as the Bucks outscored the Knicks 35-20. After a sequence midway through the third, Antetokounmpo blocked a Mikal Bridges layup attempt and then threw down a dunk at the other end of the court. As Antetokounmpo walked down the court, he pointed to himself and gestured to the crowd.
“This is my city. I love it when it's hard,” Antetokounmpo remembers saying. “I thrive when things are hard. When you make it hard, I thrive.”
Antetokounmpo, who became the first player in league history with at least 30 points on 60% shooting or better in each of his first four games of a season, would add that it had no deeper meaning beyond the message and was just in the heat of the moment.
Antetokounmpo has been connected to the Knicks after a report over the summer from ESPN's Shams Charania that Antetokounmpo considered New York the only destination he would have liked to play outside of Milwaukee. The two sides engaged in brief trade talks that never gained momentum.
However, Antetokounmpo didn't want to get too much into offseason speculation Tuesday, saying his focus was on basketball and the Bucks' upcoming game against the visiting Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
“What matters now is that we have a game in two days against Golden State,” he said. “Try to stay locked in and get two in a row.”
