Giannis Antetokounmpo On Bucks Losing To Lowly Wizards: ‘Our Transition Defense Was Horrible’

After the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Washington Wizards yesterday (4/2), Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke to NBA reporters about the bad loss. 

The Wizards have the second-worst record in the East, while the Bucks are in second place in the conference. 

“You know that they’re a team that’s going to play faster, they’re a team that’s going to thrive in transition,” Antetokounmpo said, via The Athletic. “We didn’t do a good enough job to get back, even at the end. I think it was one of the most clear plays. I think we made the basket, and they just threw the ball the other way, missed the layup, got the rebound, made a layup. We weren’t getting back for some reason, I don’t know why, but they’re a team that plays fast.”

The Wizards, one of the worst teams in the NBA, beat the Bucks by a final score of 117-113. Washington shot 50.5% from the field.

“What I think we have to take from this game is that our transition defense was horrible,” Antetokounmpo said. “Our running habits were better. We moved the ball better in the second half. Guys were knocking down shots. A lot of open looks. We gotta knock down shots, gotta rebound the ball better, get back better. Take that, try to apply it in the playoffs and try to be better.”

Antetokounmpo put up 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in 36 minutes while shooting 15-of-21 overall and 5-of-9 from the free-throw line. The Bucks played without Damian Lillard.

“I don’t know. I think focus. I don’t know what it is,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “You know, it’s funny, I’ve actually been sitting back and watching everything. Not just our players, but our travel crew, everything and I’ve made a lot of notes. I will say that. I won’t share that.

“But we don’t bring the necessary professionalism, seriousness on the road. And that’s something that we can fix. And that’s something we’re going to have to fix.”

The Bucks are 47-28 on the season. They are third in the NBA in points per game, 21st in points per game allowed and eighth in net rating. 

“I just think they outplayed us,” Rivers said. “Give ’em credit. I thought they were faster, quicker. They attacked. We took two days off for a reason — to get our legs. And I felt like we were very sloppy. That may have had something to do with it, I don’t know. I don’t know if we took them light or not, to be honest. I just thought they outplayed us.”