The Milwaukee Bucks cannot lose two straight to a team like the Wizards. If this group is going to be a contender of any kind, that just cannot happen. After staving off the Bucks on the road, Washington is now 8-24. Their two leading scorers from the night, Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington, are under legal drinking age. This is not a team any competent roster should not be able to beat on their home floor.
Last time the teams met, in Washington on that occasion, the Wizards won 129-126 (Giannis Antetokounmpo played then, too). Wednesday night, New Year’s Eve, it was the Wizards holding on 114-113 in the Fiserv Forum. The Bucks dropped to 14-20, wasting a chance to continue their good feeling from beating the Bulls and Hornets.
As mediocre as the Bucks have been, the Wizards, 14th in the Eastern Conference, are even lower on the totem pole. Giannis missed a would-be buzzer-beater from the right baseline to seal the defeat. Regardless of whether that shot went in, he was not pleased with the way the Bucks played most of the night.
Giannis knows Bucks can’t play down to inferior foes
Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 28 minutes. He went 12-for-21 from the floor and 9-for-14 on free throws. He only had three assists and committed six turnovers, but overall it was another strong performance in his just third game back. He remains on a pitch count as he ramps back from the calf strain that held him out for most of December.
Dec 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives in past Charlotte Hornets forward Liam McNeeley (33) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
No individual stuck out as having a particularly bad game. Giannis delivered the usual in his limited minutes. It wasn’t enough. Neither was 19, 6, and 5 from Kevin Porter Jr. or 16, 7, and 7 from Ryan Rollins. Myles Turner blocked five shots. It was more so a collectively poor showing than a game doomed by poor performances from any one player.
Afterward, Giannis stated the obvious truth the Bucks must take to heart if they’re to have any hope of becoming playoff contenders this season.
“We just gotta not go back and forth with them. The more you make them believe, the more they stay in the game. This is on us,” Antetokounmpo said via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm.
He is, of course, absolutely right.
Nov 29, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after scoring his 21,000th career point in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
After a strong first part of the first quarter, the Bucks let the Wizards gain momentum and the game was effectively “back and forth,” as Giannis said, after that. He wondered whether Milwaukee came in a little lackadaisical after the unfamiliar feeling of consecutive wins.
“I feel like winning too, sometimes, we won two in a row, sometimes our focus wasn’t there. Started the game by doing the right thing. I think we went a little bit away from that. Just gotta do a better job, just keep on staying for 48 minutes, move the ball, calling plays, getting to the right spot, trust one another, getting downhill and understand we can’t do this on our own. It’s gotta be a team effort, win or lose. We gotta do it together.”
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