NBA: Frustrated Giannis Antetokounmpo calls for Bucks to step up vs. Nuggets

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks will go from hosting the top team in the Western Conference to facing another powerhouse when the Denver Nuggets visit on Friday night.

Milwaukee is coming off a 122-102 loss to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The Thunder took control early, holding a double-digit lead from the middle of the first quarter and never letting Milwaukee recover. The defeat marked the Bucks’ fifth loss in their last seven games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a relatively quiet night by his standards, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes. But he did not hold back in expressing his frustrations with the team after the game.

“Not playing hard, not doing the right thing, not playing to win, not playing together. Our chemistry’s not there, guys are being selfish,” he said. “Guys are looking for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team.”

Antetokounmpo also voiced concern about the lack of time left in the season for the Bucks to fix their issues.

“You need to go through this, watch film, work hard, and hopefully by that experience, eventually you’re going to get it. We don’t have time for that, we don’t. We got 39 games left. We don’t have time.”

Milwaukee will also be without key guard Kevin Porter Jr., who is dealing with an oblique injury. Coach Doc Rivers said Porter will be out “anytime soon.”

Porter has been vital to the Bucks this season, averaging 16.8 points, 7.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

Myles Turner (ankle) also missed Wednesday’s game and is listed as day-to-day.

The Nuggets arrive in Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Washington Wizards 107-97 on Thursday.

Peyton Watson led Denver with a career-high 35 points and eight rebounds, while Jamal Murray added 24 points and five assists.

“Fearlessness, the audacity to do it against the best in the world. That’s what means the most to me — the mindset and the mentality behind it,” Watson said.

Denver remains without stars Nikola Jokic (knee), Christian Braun (ankle) and Cameron Johnson (knee). However, Jonas Valanciunas returned to action and contributed 16 points and nine rebounds.

“(Valanciunas) is so impactful for us. He allows us to play normal NBA basketball. It’s nice to have him back,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “He allows us to get back to defensively what we’ve been doing early in the year as opposed to lately with all these guys out.”

The rivalry between these two teams has been extremely close in recent years, with the season series split evenly in each of the past five seasons. Denver currently holds the advantage this season after a 108-104 win over Milwaukee on Jan. 11.

That loss was especially tough for the Bucks, as they fell to a Nuggets team missing five of its top seven players — Jokic, Murray, Johnson, Braun and Valanciunas. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, Aaron Gordon added 23, and Watson contributed 19 in that matchup.

—Field Level Media/Reuters