Giannis Antetokounmpo stuffs box score, but closing games a concern as Bucks lose to Rockets – The Athletic

MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks know Kevin Durant’s offensive exploits well.

While current Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was not in charge in Milwaukee at the time, he remembered Durant’s clutch jumper in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Bucks’ second-round series against the Brooklyn Nets in 2021 when asked about it before Sunday’s game. As everyone knows, Durant’s foot was on the line, and rather than win the game, Durant sent it to overtime, where the Bucks beat the Nets and eventually went on to win the franchise’s second NBA title, the team’s first since 1971.

In that classic playoff matchup, Antetokounmpo knocked down a hook shot to tie the game with just over a minute left, and then Khris Middleton hit a fadeaway jumper to give the Bucks the lead two possessions later. In the fourth quarter, Jrue Holiday made multiple clutch jumpers to keep the Bucks in the game.

But Middleton and Holiday are no longer in Milwaukee, and neither is Damian Lillard, who served as Antetokounmpo’s running mate for the last two seasons with the Bucks.

Now, in clutch time for the Bucks this season, it is going to be all about Antetokounmpo. He made that work earlier in the week with a fadeaway buzzer-beater to beat the Indiana Pacers, but that same level of execution was not there Sunday as the Bucks let a fourth-quarter lead slip away as the Rockets pulled out a 122-115 win.

“They’re a good team, but this was a game that I thought was very winnable for us,” Rivers said. “It was frustrating. I thought we didn’t execute offensively at all. The ball stopped moving.”

To Rivers’ point, the Bucks assisted on 18 of their 24 made baskets in the first half. In the third quarter, they recorded only two assists on eight made baskets. In the fourth quarter, five of the Bucks’ 12 made baskets were assisted.

The Rockets closed Sunday’s game on a 22-9 run. To win the game, the Rockets turned to Durant. The 37-year-old forward was at his best in the clutch, scoring seven points and dishing out three assists in the final five minutes to end Sunday’s game with 31 points, three rebounds and seven assists.

Despite putting together another spectacular and dominant performance with 37 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Antetokounmpo couldn’t find that same level of production in clutch time. In the final five minutes, Antetokounmpo made only one basket, went 2-of-6 from the free throw line, committed one turnover on a picked-off pass to Kyle Kuzma and got credited for another turnover on an offensive goaltending call.

The ball movement that had shredded the Rockets’ defense in the first half disappeared down the stretch for the Bucks.

“I think we just gotta do a better job just moving the ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “The ball was sticking a lot. Even when I had the ball, guys were not moving, our spacing was not good.

“We have to play the way we play through the first three quarters. Obviously, I know it’s the fourth quarter, you gotta be smarter, but we gotta keep on playing with pace, good spacing, guys gotta get in the paint and just be smarter down the stretch.”

Look at this clutch-time possession from the Bucks.

It is possible that the Rockets committed a foul that went uncalled on that shot attempt, but Antetokounmpo still made the decision to attempt to score while surrounded by three defenders. The Bucks’ spacing might not have been as lethal in that moment with Kuzma in the game instead of AJ Green to put more size on Durant on the other end of the floor, but Antetokounmpo had drawn more than enough attention to create a shot for one of his teammates.

A few minutes later, Antetokounmpo saw another double team. On that play, he decided to look for a teammate, but that pass was intercepted by Amen Thompson.

“I just saw Kuz, but Thompson is an elite athlete who is able to cover space really quick and get to the pass,” Antetokounmpo said. “It was a great read by Thompson. He was able to cover space really, really quick. You just gotta give him credit.”

For the Bucks, these growing pains will almost certainly be a part of this season. Outside of Antetokounmpo, they do not have playmakers and shot creators who have played in the biggest NBA moments, so the team will have to learn how it wants to go about closing out games. The Bucks will need to figure out the actions they can lean on and the players who can make plays down the stretch.

“We didn’t execute as well (as them),” Antetokounmpo said. “The ball was sticking a lot… Whenever we were double-teaming or trapping the pick-and-roll, they were moving the ball, finding the open man. They were able to make some shots and we did the complete opposite.”

Durant, one of the greatest offensive weapons in NBA history, may be too high a bar for the Bucks to aim for when it comes to clutch offensive production, but they will need to get better in these moments as they move forward this season.

Clutch performance can define a season. They can be the plays that help a team outperform what is expected of them or be the plays that keep them from reaching their fullest potential.