Giannis Antetokounmpo criticized the Milwaukee Bucks' effort in the second night of a back-to-back as they were defeated at the New York Knicks by a final score of 116-94. The Bucks were coming off a win at home against the Utah Jazz that was preceded by a pair of close losses to the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Did we compete the previous game? Yes. Did we compete the two [games before that]? Yes. Did we compete today? No. ... If you don't compete your ass off, you're not going to win the game," Antetokounmpo said. "[You have to] at least give yourself a chance.
"We came to New York after playing great last night. Then we come here and lose by 30. Are you OK with not competing? I'm not OK with that s---. We've got Boston in two days. We don't compete, we're going to lose by 30."
The Bucks rank 21st on offense and are ranked 28th in defending pick-and-roll ball handlers.
"At the end of the day, we've got to compete," said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 12 boards. "Teams are not just going to give us games. They're not going to feel bad for us.
"We've got to compete every single possession. Every loose ball, we've got to get a body on the floor and put it on the line. But we didn't compete at all."
