MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks had a mindset entering their Wednesday game against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs,
“We had to be physical with this team,” Antetokounmpo said.
With Antetokounmpo showing strength on both ends of the floor — and his teammates following his lead — the Bucks picked up an easy 121-105 win over the Spurs.
After a 27-9 run to close out the first half, the Bucks were in control for the final two quarters with the Spurs coming within single digits once in the second half. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard believed it was simple to understand why the Bucks made it look easy.
“Everything starts with our focus,” Lillard (26 points, five rebounds and eight assists) said. “I think we’ve just been more focused. Coming off some games that we felt we should have won, obviously, you’ve gotta look at what you’re not doing or what you could be doing better.
“And I think our focus on our game plan (was it). Knowing players’ tendencies and ultimately, like what’s going to give us a chance to win games and what are we doing when we had our best? I think (it’s when) we are physical, we’re on a string defensively, we’re competing defensively and getting stops.”
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With an epic first meeting last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama going head-to-head for the second time had the makings of a much-hyped sequel. Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, had a different idea.
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Last season, Brook Lopez was given the responsibility as Wembanyama’s primary defender in the Bucks’ lone matchup against the 7-3 Frenchman last season. On Wednesday, Bucks coach Doc Rivers approached things differently.
The Bucks switched with a higher frequency than normal to account for the somewhat unusual matchups, but Rivers also stationed Lopez on rookie guard Stephon Castle or forward Keldon Johnson to give Antetokounmpo the chance to be Wembanyama’s primary defender.
The two-time NBA MVP was up to the task all game long.
Wembanyama is averaging 25.1 points per game in his second NBA season. In the 10 games before Wednesday’s matchup against the Bucks, his scoring average ballooned to 29.8 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting. With Antetokounmpo in front of him for most of the night, Wembanyama made just four of his 10 shots and ended the game with 10 points, his lowest total since a season-low six against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 30, 2024.
While Wembanyama managed to make highlight plays in the first five minutes, the reality of his situation on Wednesday was far more grim. Wherever he went, Antetokounmpo was there, wedged underneath him and ready to move his feet. Meandering around the perimeter looking for a switch was his only clear path to freedom from Antetokounmpo’s defensive tyranny.
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“For a player like that, he’s going to get to his spot,” Antetokounmpo said of defending Wembanyama. “He’s going to have the green light to shoot any shot he wants. He can shoot the ball from range. You just gotta make it as tough as possible for him. Be as much as you can physical, get him out of his spot, contest every shot that you can.”
Antetokounmpo didn’t allow his headline-worthy individual matchup with Wembanyama to distract from the work that he needed to do as a help defender. He made the block of the night when he left Wembanyama to help out his teammates and reject a Devin Vassell dunk attempt with his right hand, the same hand that needed three stitches on Monday night because of a cut he suffered trying a chasedown block against the Toronto Raptors.
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“It’s everything for us,” Bucks guard AJ Green said of Antetokounmpo’s impact defensively. “When he’s being himself, really. When he’s engaged and on the ball, taking his match-up almost personally in a way trying to stop that guy. When he’s also engaged as a team defender, like when he’s coming from the help side, getting those blocks, contesting around the rim, rebounding that allows us to get out and go.
“His presence, his energy and his effort sets a standard, sets a tone for everybody else to follow.”
On a good day, Green stands 6-foot-4. Wembanyama stands nearly a whole foot taller than Green, but the focus Lillard discussed after the game and the standard Antetokounmpo set during the game meant there was only one place Green needed to be when he accidentally got switched onto Wembanyama on the left wing with a few minutes left in the first quarter.
Green got underneath Wembanyama and made sure that he didn’t cede any ground.
AJ’s a thorn in the side of any opponent. pic.twitter.com/nqbrRkkRhM
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 9, 2025
“Just be physical and crawl up under him,” Green (14 points, 4-of-7 3-point shooting) said. “Try to make him uncomfortable. Stab at the dribble. That’s what coaches wanted us to do and I think that’s how you gotta try and guard him.”
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Green eventually received a little help from his teammates, but his on-ball tenacity was a major reason why Wembanyama ended up tossing his crosscourt pass out of bounds for his first turnover of the night.
The Bucks did some great things on offense, too. After hitting 50 percent (22 of 44) of their 3s against the Raptors, the Bucks again shot well from deep, knocking down 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from 3. Green knocked down four first-half 3s to help the Bucks build a sizable lead, while Gary Trent Jr. drilled four fourth-quarter 3s to put the game away.
In his first game back after missing the Bucks’ win in Toronto, Khris Middleton came off the bench as the Bucks continue to try to figure out how to fit him into their rotations on a minutes limit. Middleton missed a few open shots, but contributed eight points, five rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes to help the offensive output off the bench.
Antetokounmpo dominated the game as a facilitator, torturing the Spurs’ help defenders with his passing, tallying eight assists to go along with his 25 points and 16 rebounds. Lillard hit some ridiculous shots from 3-point range and in the paint. He got his teammates involved with eight assists as well.
But the Bucks beat the Spurs with their defense.
They came into the game with a great game plan and executed it from the start. Performances such as Wednesday’s, where the Bucks are locked in from the start and focused on their goals for a full 48 minutes, are what has made the team’s lackadaisical outings against teams destined for the NBA Draft lottery so disappointing this season.
“Our focus, our discipline, we’re connected on both sides of the ball,” Lillard said. “We’re sustaining it for longer periods of time. And when our mind is right and we do that, we get these types of results, regardless of the team.
“Against Toronto, we had it and you would look at that game and say it was one we were supposed to win. And then a game like tonight against a tough team — you know, they give people problems — we had it again tonight and we were able to do the same thing. So, I think when we’re focused and we’re disciplined and we’re connected, we do the right things, that way for us, we can beat anybody.”
It’s tough to deny Lillard’s sentiment. Now, the Bucks just need to make it a nightly occurrence.
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(Photo of Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
