MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t want to talk about the latest record the Milwaukee Bucks star added to his collection Thursday night.
The two-time MVP instead was focused on figuring how the Bucks could stop their recent pattern of making things tough on themselves early in games.
Two nights after erasing a 19-point deficit to win 120-112 at Indiana, the Bucks fell behind by 24 points before nearly coming all the way back in a 113-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
“When you go down 20, that’s when the clock starts for us,” Antetokounmpo said. “We put ourselves in a hole and just dig our way out of the hole. It takes too much out of everybody.”
Antetokounmpo scored 27 points while shooting 12 of 24, but he missed a driving layup attempt that would have put Milwaukee ahead with just over six seconds left.
He still made NBA history by scoring 20-plus points and shooting at least 50% from the floor for a 26th consecutive game. Antetokounmpo had shared the record for consecutive games scoring at least 20 points and shooting at least 50% with Shaquille O’Neal and Zion Williamson.
O’Neal’s streak spanned from January to March of 2001, while Williamson did it from February to April in 2021. Antetokounmpo has scored at least 20 points and has shot at least 50% in every game he’s played this season.
“I didn’t even know that,” Antetokounmpo said. “I just want to win. I play to win. This is my motto all year long. I want to win. I don’t care about nothing else. I just try to build in my mind that all that matters is winning.”
Antetokounmpo’s drive has helped Milwaukee bounce back from a 2-8 start to move above .500 and into playoff position, but the Bucks have taken a step back since winning the NBA Cup last month. They’ve gone 3-4 since and have dropped three of their last four games.
The Bucks’ struggles occurred in part because Antetokounmpo missed four straight games - two with back spasms and two more with an illness. Milwaukee’s slow start against Indiana was understandable because it was Antetokounmpo’s first game back, and he needed some time to work his way into his usual form.
“You get very easily out of breath, especially when you’re playing a team like Indiana that’s going to attack in the first eight seconds,” Antetokounmpo said. “It takes time for you to get in rhythm.”
The slow start at home Thursday was tougher to explain. Even more puzzling has been Milwaukee’s season-long struggles against the Nets, who snapped a three-game skid.
Although the Nets are just 13-21 this season, they’re 3-1 against the Bucks. The last time the Nets beat the Bucks as many as three times within the same regular season was 2013-14.
“At the end of the day, in a game like this, it’s about individual pride,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s about who’s going to compete. Who’s going to play harder? I think three out of the four times, they’ve played harder than us.”
Milwaukee’s tenacity down the stretch these last two games has been commendable. The Bucks trailed 111-90 with less than seven minutes remaining Thursday, but they didn’t allow another basket the rest of the game and had the ball with a chance to take the lead.
But they still fell short because of another slow start. They realize they can’t afford to lose to these types of teams as they try to improve their playoff positioning.
“Let’s not over-complicate the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “We did not play well. They played harder than us in three out of the four games. We did not play smart. And we’ve just got to go back, watch the film and be better. That’s pretty much it.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after Pat Connaughton dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo tries to get past Brooklyn Nets' Nic Claxton during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo tries to get past Brooklyn Nets' Nic Claxton during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo shoots past Brooklyn Nets' Jalen Wilson during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Naomi Osaka's fitness for the Australian Open is in question after the four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 suffered an apparent abdominal injury Sunday while playing the final of a WTA tournament in Auckland.
Osaka had won the first set of the final 6-4 against Denmark's Clara Tauson when she spoke to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, the chair umpire and a tour trainer before deciding to withdraw.
The nature of her injury wasn't immediately clear but seemed to be abdominal, not the back injury she suffered at the China Open in October and which ended her 2024 season.
Osaka was in tears as she sat waiting for the trainer. She then left the court to a subdued ovation as spectators before returning for the prizegiving.
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city," Osaka said. "I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry about how it ended but I hope that you enjoyed the tennis that we did play. I’m just really grateful to be here.”
Osaka had led 5-1 with two breaks of serve when she began to look tighter, with less power in her serve. She managed to take out the first set before indicating she couldn't continue.
Osaka returned to tennis at the start of 2024 after a lengthy break following the birth of her daughter Shai.
The Auckland final was her first since her return to tennis and had she won, it would have been her first title of any kind since the 2021 Australian Open.
Osaka's injury came after a good week in Auckland. As the tournament unfolded and she grew stronger, the four-time Grand Slam winner and former No. 1 had spoken of how childbirth and her absence for the tour had changed her perspective and hardened her mindset.
“There are moments where it’s really difficult, where I do get down on myself,” Osaka said earlier this week. “But then I just kind of realized I was pregnant not so long ago and I just really wanted the opportunity to play again.
“Now I’m finally here and I’m putting up really good fights and I hope that I can keep continuing this way.”
Osaka was the seventh seed in Auckland on her entry ranking of 57 and won her way to the final, beating Lina Glushko of Israel, Julia Grabher of Austria and Hailey Baptiste and Alicia Parks of the United States, dropping only one set.
“I want to take every match seriously and if someone does beat me, I want it to be the fight of their life,” Osaka said. “I want to build that reputation within the community of tennis. I just hope that I can grow to fight for everything.”
“Last year it was really difficult to get that mindset and you could see that in a lot of my matches. The tennis was there throughout the year but it was more of a mindset thing and now here I think I’m ready for the battles.”
Osaka said her absence from tennis after childbirth had given her a new perspective.
“I feel like a veteran and also a newbie at the same time,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been out of the game periodically to the point where I accept the fact that I’m playing new people because they are new people that come into the game every year and obviously I was out for a year and some change.
“I’m very curious the type of people that these young players are. I feel a lot of responsibility and I also feel like I haven’t been the greatest role model at times. But I’m also, I guess, learning and trying my best every year.”
“I do feel a little sad that my great role model is gone, which is Serena and, of course, Venus. And I hope that I’m able to play as many years as them and build a really good foundation for the sport.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Naomi Osaka of Japan is emotional after forfeiting her match against Clara Tauson of Denmark in the finals singles match of the ASB Classic tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Alan Lee/Photosport via AP)
Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts after forfeiting her match against Clara Tauson of Denmark in the finals singles match of the ASB Classic tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Alan Lee/Photosport via AP)
Clara Tauson of Denmark poses with trophy after Naomi Osaka of Japan withdrew from the women's singles final match of the ASB Classic tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Alan Lee/Photosport via AP)
Naomi Osaka of Japan is emotional after forfeiting her match against Clara Tauson of Denmark in the finals singles match of the ASB Classic tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Alan Lee/Photosport via AP)
Naomi Osaka of Japan is emotional after forfeiting her match against Clara Tauson of Denmark in the finals singles match of the ASB Classic tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Alan Lee/Photosport via AP)
Naomi Osaka of Japan leaves the court after forfeiting her match against Clara Tauson of Denmark in the finals singles match of the ASB Classic tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (Alan Lee/Photosport via AP)
