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Chris Herring, ESPN Senior Writer
NEW YORK — After the Milwaukee Bucks were routed 140-106 on Sunday by the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden — a loss that dropped them to 0-8 in games against the top three teams in the East — two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said the Bucks needed to start showing more.
“We’ve gotta get our stuff together. It’s as simple as that. We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn’t beat the Knicks,” Antetokounmpo said. “Those are the top three teams, and we’ve played horribly against them.”
The comments were similar to ones Antetokounmpo made after the Bucks were blown out at the Madison Square Garden in November, prompting him to critique Milwaukee’s competitive spirit.
The 30-year-old said things were a bit different Sunday. The Bucks, who dropped to 2-7 after their loss to the Knicks in November, have gotten back on track recently, sitting at 20-17 after their latest loss. But Antetokounmpo still expects more.
“I think we’re a way better team [now] than the November team. We’ve proven it by playing good basketball for longer stretches,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. “But at the end of the day, when we’re playing the better teams, we’ve got to do a better job. They’re not just going to give it to us — we’ve got to take it. They’re not just going to fold.”
Milwaukee kept the score close for much of the first half, but New York used a late run to expand its lead to 13 points by halftime. The Knicks outscored the Bucks by 10 in the first two minutes of the third quarter, prompting Bucks coach Doc Rivers to call two timeouts in an attempt to stop the momentum.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson finished with 44 points and six assists despite missing much of the third quarter after suffering a right shoulder stinger. Center Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points and 18 rebounds.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard acknowledged that Milwaukee’s record against the top teams in the East is far from ideal, but added that it requires context.
“You have to have watched the games,” he said, citing the Bucks’ two losses to the Cavs by a combined three points and two other defeats to the Celtics that were decided late in those games.
Lillard said the Bucks’ adjustments between now and the start of the postseason will be paramount.
“One year in Portland, we got our asses whupped every [regular-season] game by OKC. Then in the playoffs, we whupped their ass,” Lillard said. “So no; we haven’t beaten the top teams. But we also have to key in, look at why, figure out the context and move forward.”