The Milwaukee Bucks faltered again, falling to 26-35 after losing 131-113 to the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Forum. Giannis Antetokounmpo played well but could not help his team. Following the Bucks' loss, according to Eurohoops' Johnny Askonis recap, Antetokounmpo lamented the loss and challenged his team afterward.
"I was a little disappointed. I feel like when you're down 11 or 12, you just have to play smart, try to take the best shots possible, be in the right spots. At the end of the day, we all have to be on the same page," Antetokounmpo told Askonis.
Antetokounmpo scored 24 points while making 10 of 15 shots from the floor. However, the rest of the players of his team could not do anything special. The offense still shot 50% on the night, but allowed the Hawks to shoot 54.3%, including 44.4% from triples.
The Bucks led 38-25 after the first quarter. Eventually, things fell apart later. While the Bucks led 71–66 at halftime, a poor third quarter performance doomed them, giving the Hawks the lead for good.
The team sits at 26-35, there is still time to make a run and at least clinch one of the play-in spots. Yet the Bucks are five games behind the Hawks for the final play-in spot, leading many to believe the team will miss the playoffs. Antetokounmpo acknowledged the situation and questioned what the plan was.
“We have to decide, do we wave the white flag, or do we come together and try to play hard and push for the last 21 games?” Antetokounmpo asked.
The Bucks will have a few days to prepare for their next game, which will be at home against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
