Giannis on Bucks’ recent form: “You have to play with pace”

On the opening leg of a three-game road journey, the Milwaukee Bucks stumbled against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

Despite a stellar performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who notched a 35-point, 14-rebound double-double along with four assists, the Bucks faced defeat on Thursday night. Their inability to contain Zion Williamson in the crucial moments led to a setback, leaving them with a 46-27 record. Sitting 1.5 games behind the New York Knicks and two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, maintaining the second seed in the Eastern Conference appears challenging, particularly given their recent form.

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“We need to maintain a high tempo,” advised the Greek Freak to his teammates. “Mistakes will happen; we’re all human. But we must play with purpose. Instead of overthinking our plays after a rebound, we should swiftly move the ball forward, initiate an attack, and create opportunities in the paint. If there’s no opening, pass it back out. Let’s avoid stagnating in our offensive sets.”

With just nine games remaining in the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season, Doc Rivers’ squad will travel to face the Atlanta Hawks in the next NBA Saturdays fixture. Following that, they’ll meet the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena next Tuesday before returning home to Fiserv Forum for five consecutive games. “We need to elevate our tempo, and we’re fully committed to doing so,” Antetokounmpo remarked, previewing the team’s determination to overcome challenges en route to the Playoffs.