Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from an eight-game absence Saturday night to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-103 win over the Chicago Bulls. The two-time MVP poured in 29 points, which he capped off with a fastbreak windmill dunk in the final two seconds after the game was already well decided.
After the final buzzer sounded, Bulls forward Nikola VucevicVučević and guard Coby White approached Antetokounmpo to share their irritation with his unnecessary dunk which led to both benches emptying to defuse the situation.
“We’re 11th in the East,” Antetokounmpo said. “Got to keep finding an identity. And if that’s to get a little bit of scrappy at the end, so be it. We’re not champs. Why should we play the clock out and have respect and fair play? We’re fighting for our lives right now.”
The Bucks went 2-6 in Antetokounmpo’s absence, and are just 13-19 on the season. While it’s a night-and-day difference when Giannis is on the floor, the Bucks struggled to consistently string together wins, even in a weak Eastern Conference.
“This is real tough,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve been 13 years in the league. If we keep on losing, probably half of the team not going to be here. We’re not going to make the playoffs. I really don’t care. At the end of the day, I just want to be available, be healthy and help my team win. And if [a windmill dunk] is what has to happen for everybody to wake up and understand, we’re fighting for our lives and we got to get our hands dirty, so be it.”
Bulls players took exception with Antetokounmpo’s actions.
“He shouldn’t have dunked the ball,” White said after the game. “It’s disrespectful to the game. I said, ‘Bro, you’re better than that.’ The game is over with. Why you got to do that? It’s a respect thing.”
Vučević tried to rationalize Antetokounmpo’s actions, saying, “I’m assuming Giannis was mad about that report that came out the Bulls didn’t want to trade for him.”
Trade hype hovered over the Bucks for most of the season after a report surfaced that Antetokounmpo may request one by midseason. There are conflicting reports about his actual willingness to request a trade, but comments last night suggest he is not happy with the state of things in Milwaukee.