LOS ANGELES – The Milwaukee Bucks are “buying into the philosophy” of new coach Doc Rivers and their 112-95 victory over reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) champions Denver Nuggets on Feb 12 is proof of that, said star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After losing five of their first six games under Rivers – including a 113-107 defeat by Denver on his debut with Milwaukee in January – the Bucks have won two straight games by a combined margin of 53 points, with team defence central to those performances. It was also the first time this season that they have allowed fewer than 100 points in back-to-back games.
“Right now, we are trying to kind of help one another defensively and just make it as tough as possible,” said Antetokounmpo, who scored 36 points and matched his season-high 18 rebounds at Fiserv Forum.
“This is team defence. Nobody can do it by himself. Right now, I feel like we are buying into that philosophy as a team.”
Damian Lillard scored 18 points, Bobby Portis added 13 and A.J. Green, Malik Beasley and Brook Lopez each had nine for Milwaukee, who led by as many as 28 points and improved to 3-5 since Rivers took over on Jan 26.
One game after allowing a season-low 84 points in a win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Feb 9, they limited Denver to 38.3 per cent shooting and 11-of-40 success (27.5 per cent) from three-point range.
“Our entire staff, they’re doing a great job of just calling everything out. They’re challenging us in a lot of different ways – our communication, how physical we are, how we carry ourselves as a group,” said Lillard.
“We’re trying to find our identity. Who do we want to be?”
Antetokounmpo added three steals and two blocks in 30 minutes for the Bucks, while Serbian big man Nikola Jokic, like the Greek star a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, had 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, who trailed 60-44 at half-time.
Denver’s Jamal Murray played only 18 minutes due to a leg injury and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was on court for just nine with a tight right hamstring.
The Bucks improved to 35-19 and are in third spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Nuggets (36-18) are losing ground in a four-team fight for the Western Conference.
Over at the Scotiabank Arena, Victor Wembanyama posted an epic NBA triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots on Feb 12 to power the San Antonio Spurs to a 122-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
The 20-year-old, 2.24m French rookie star, the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, had the most blocks in a game by any NBA player in more than three years in his second career NBA triple-double.
“We felt great today, had a great rhythm. Started the game strong. I don’t know. I guess it’s just the NBA,” Wembanyama said.
“We’ve got ups and downs in terms of shape. Today was an up day.”
He became only the fifth player with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists in a game, joining legendary big men Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and former Spurs star David Robinson.
“It’s great company to have a name in this group and even more because it’s in the Spurs family,” he said.
The Frenchman warned his size and skill at swatting aside shots might prevent many double-digit blocks nights.
“It’s getting harder to block shots – I had to make an extra effort tonight – because fewer and fewer people go at me. Intimidation, I can see it happening,” he said.
“Wemby”, whose first NBA triple-double came in January against the Detroit Pistons, hit 10 of 14 shots from the floor, two of four three-point attempts, and five of six free throws while adding five assists and two steals over 29 minutes.
“He did a little bit of everything. He is an all-round talented player,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Philadelphia 76ers took a dramatic 123-121 victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to stun the NBA’s hottest team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, snapping the Cavs’ nine-game winning streak.
Kelly Oubre scored 24 points, including the three-pointer that gave the 76ers a 120-110 lead. With 1min 25sec to go, he blocked Donovan Mitchell’s tying lay-up attempt to deny the Cavs (35-17), who had won 17 of their last 18 games, their first 10-game win streak since 2017. REUTERS, AFP
