The Milwaukee Bucks got back in the win column on Saturday night, knocking off the Chicago Bulls 112-103. The game was noteworthy not only because Milwaukee improved to 13-19 on the season, but also because Giannis Antetokounmpo made his return to the Bucks lineup. He had missed the previous eight games with a right calf strain.
Due to coming back from injury, the nine-time All-Star was on a minutes restriction, but was still able to pour in 29 points. He also had eight rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
At the end of the game, though, Giannis did cause a stir among Bulls players by throwing down a highlight reel dunk with the clock winding down to zero. Typically, teams that are winning, especially by a wide margin, dribble the clock out.
And since Giannis did not do that, many Chicago players took exception to the play.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo explains why he dunked at the end of the game
Dec 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) goes up for a dunk against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
While Giannis was out with his calf injury, Milwaukee went just 2-6 and fell further behind in the Eastern Conference standings. They team obviously needed a spark, and the two-time NBA MVP returning certainly helped.
But the dunk was about sending a message to his own team more than anything else:
Giannis with the quote of the season:
“Are we 11th in the East or 12th? We just gotta keep finding our identity. If we need to get a little scrappy at the end, so be it. We’re not the champs. Why should we have ‘play the clock out and have respect and fair play’, like we’re… pic.twitter.com/BiIvyeL9kL
— Bucks Lead (@BucksLead) December 28, 2025
“Are we 11th in the East or 12th? We just gotta keep finding our identity. If we need to get a little scrappy at the end, so be it. We’re not the champs. Why should we have ‘play the clock out and have respect and fair play’, like we’re fighting for our lives right now.
“This is real talk. I’ve been 13 years in the league. If we keep on losing brother, probably half of the team won’t be here, we’re not going to make the playoffs. I really don’t care. I just want to be available, be healthy and help my team win. And if [the windmill dunk] is what has to happen for everyone to wake up and understand we are fighting for our lives and we gotta get our hands dirty, then so be it.”
As one can see, Giannis’ dunk was about sending a message to his Bucks teammates that the time has come for them to get their hands dirty. They need to start doing more, whatever it takes, to win more games.
A big positive from this is that it indicates that Giannis is committed to winning here in Milwaukee and is not actively trying to get traded elsewhere, as many so-called insiders wants fans to believe.
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