Giannis Antetokounmpo criticizes the Bucks’ commitment after the bankruptcy

NEW YORK – The Milwaukee Bucks finally had reason to feel good – or at least feel some measure of relief – on Thursday as they beat the weak Utah Jazz and lost six games, their longest since 2015.

But the Bucks followed that performance and were dominated by the New York Knicks 116-94 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

And Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo made it clear after the loss that he was not at all satisfied with the team’s performance.

Antetokounmpo said the performance was more discouraging because it followed three straight appearances in which the Bucks — who fell to 2-7 and are 13th in the Eastern Conference — played hard and gave themselves a chance to win gave. And instead of building on that, he said the team lacked courage against the Knicks.

“Did we play the previous game? Yes. Did we dispute the two of them?” [games before that]? Yes. Did we compete today? No. … If you don’t compete hard, you’re not going to win the game,” he said. “[You have to] At least give yourself a chance.

“We came to New York after playing great last night. Then we come here and lose by 30. Are you okay with not competing? I don’t agree with this shit. We have Boston in two days. We don’t compete, we lose by 30%.

Both Antetokounmpo and Bucks coach Doc Rivers pointed out that the Knicks’ seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone were an indicator that New York displayed a higher level of effort and physicality. Rivers recalled a play in the first half in which three of his players knelt to recover a loose ball, only to watch as a crease hit the floor and used it for an extra possession.

Aside from the effort, it doesn’t help that Milwaukee just looks old and slow most of the time. The Bucks, who once had one of the best defenses in the league, had no answer to Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists), who fired them up from deep and repeatedly drove past Brook Lopez for simple baskets.

The point attack defense, which hasn’t been the same since the team signed star guard Damian Lillard and spread stopper Jrue Holiday before the 2023-24 season, is among the NBA’s most vulnerable. Entering Friday, the Bucks ranked 28th out of 30 teams in defending pick-and-roll ballplayers (only Atlanta and Detroit had more problems per possession).

The Bucks’ offense wasn’t particularly good either, ranking just 21st in the league despite Antetokounmpo and Lillard. Rivers said that as a coach he had to find ways to move Bobby Portis forward. Lopez also struggled to find his way on offense.

But Antetokounmpo said all of those things — from coaching to shooting luck — are irrelevant until the team plays more consistently and harder.

“At the end of the day, we have to compete,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. “Teams won’t just bring us games. They won’t feel sorry for us.”

“We have to make every single possession competitive. Every loose ball we have to get a body on the ground and get it on the line. But we didn’t compete at all.”