Before Tuesday’s game, Giannis Antetokounmpo told his Milwaukee teammates that they had to fight for their lives if they wanted to contend for the NBA title this year, and they responded by shooting the highest single-game percentage by any team during this current century.
This means that during their 133-123 victory over the Suns, the Bucks produced a franchise-record 68.9% (51-of-74) from the floor. The last time a team produced such an impressive feat was back in 1998 when the Clippers shot 69.3% (61-of-88) in a 152-120 win over the Raptors.
“I kept saying to my teammates, ‘We’re fighting for our lives. We’re fighting for our lives,’” The Greek Freak revealed postgame. “They think I’m joking, but I’m not joking. We’re fighting for our lives right here. Every win counts.”
Believe it or not, each of the Milwaukee players who played on Tuesday dropped at least 50% of their shots. Giannis led the way as usual with 37 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds while shooting 12-of-18. However, this wasn’t a one-man show against the Suns.
For example, Ryan Rollins scored 23 points while posting shots of 8-of-10 overall and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Veteran Brook Lopez contributed with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, as the squad dropped a season-high 58.6% of their three-point attempts (17-of-29).
“I think we were a bit disappointed in our offense the past few games,” Lopez said as he celebrated his 37th birthday last night. “I think we got back to moving it, sharing it, trusting it, really taking advantage of our size in transition, getting the ball into the paint, and just playing off that.”
Now the Bucks are standing sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, but on the way to achieve their lowest playoff seed since 2018. “I knew coming into this game, whenever I see cracks, I’ve got to take them because I’m not going to have a lot of opportunities to be aggressive,” Antetokounmpo shared.
The two-time MVP then added: “When I don’t have cracks, probably somebody’s going to be wide open, so I’ve just got to look to the right or the left of me and make the right play.”
