The Milwaukee Bucks are 17-23 on the season and coming off of arguably their worst loss of the year. Despite facing a Minnesota Timberwolves team, at home in Fiserv Forum, that was without stars Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, Milwaukee fell 139-106. The home crowd booed the Bucks players, and soon-to-be 10-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo booed them right back, inciting a plethora of renewed trade rumors and speculation.
Indeed, things are not going well in Milwaukee, and fans have lost all confidence in head coach Doc Rivers (not that they had much to begin with) and the current roster as a whole.
On Thursday night, the Bucks will try to get back in the win column when they travel to take on the San Antonio Spurs, a team that Giannis has performed well against in the past.
March 20, 2021: Bucks 120, Spurs 113
Three months before Giannis led the Bucks to their first NBA Championship in 50 years, he led Milwaukee to a thrilling win over the Spurs in Milwaukee to improve their record, at the time, to 27-14.
In that game, the Greek Freak had 26 points, nine rebounds, and a then-career high 15 assists.
Khris Middleton added 23 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Jrue Holiday had 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
December 19, 2023: Bucks 132, Spurs 119
This game did not see Giannis put up a very big point total, but Milwaukee improved to 20-7 on the season on the back of an impressive triple-double from the two-time NBA MVP.
In this particular contest, Giannis had just 11 points while shooting 4-12 from the field. But he also added 14 rebounds and set a new career-high in assists with 16.
Milwaukee’s high-scorer in this game was Damian Lillard, who had 40 points along with four rebounds and three assists. Bobby Portis added 23 points off the bench.
January 31, 2025: Bucks 118, Spurs 144
Jan 31, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) loses control of the ball while defended by San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
A blowout loss for the Bucks, obviously, was not the ideal outcome. However, Giannis put up impressive numbers with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists.
Lillard had 22 points and Middleton, coming off the bench, had 21.
It was, obviously, not enough to overcome the more balanced attacked from San Antonio, but Giannis individually out-dueled Victor Wembanyama, who had 30 points, 14 rebounds, and one assist (and six blocks).
November 24, 2018: Bucks 135, Spurs 129
The first season of the Mike Budenholzer era in Milwaukee saw the Bucks offense perform at a level that fans had not been accustomed to. This early season matchup was a prime example of why Milwaukee improved from a 44-38 team the year before to winning 60 games in 2018.
Giannis led the way with 34 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists, while three other Bucks starters scored 20 or more points themselves. Eric Bledsoe had 20, Middleton had 21, and Malcolm Brogdon added 23.
January 13, 2024: Bucks 125, Spurs 121
On a night that Milwaukee needed to be carried by its two best players, Lillard and Giannis, they got everything they needed. Lillard had 25 points and 10 assists while Giannis had 44 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
His 44 point-performance is his highest-scoring game against San Antonio for his career. He was 19-28 from the field, which included a 2-3 night from three.
For his career, Giannis is averaging 22.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game against the Spurs (23 games).
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