Giannis: 'I just said f--k it' before leading comeback vs. Kings
Giannis Antetokounmpo took it upon himself to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a second-half comeback against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
"I just said f--k it," Antetokounmpo said following the 114-108 victory, according to The Athletic's Eric Nehm. "I gotta be aggressive."
The Bucks trailed by 12 at halftime after scoring only 49 points. The poor early performance marked the third time in the last four games that the Bucks failed to score 50 points in the first 24 minutes.
Antetokounmpo responded by posting 22 points while playing the entire third quarter to get Milwaukee back into the contest. He finished with a game-high 32 points and 17 rebounds.
"He was just dominant," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said, per Nehm. "He wouldn't be denied.
"He wasn't forcing anything. He was getting to the basket. He took a couple of jump shots, made one, made two. … I can't remember any shot that he took where I thought he was trying to take (the game) over. It was just that he was taking over."
Milwaukee's bench also thrived Saturday, outscoring the Kings' second unit 32-19 and giving the Bucks a two-point lead when Antetokounmpo sat for the first 6:10 of the fourth quarter.
"That's what you want your bench to do," Antetokounmpo said. "You want them to come in, score the ball, bring energy, defend the right way, keep the momentum going. And not just keep the momentum, they started the momentum for us."
Kevin Porter Jr. posted 18 points and six assists in 27 minutes off the Bucks' bench Saturday. He credited Antetokounmpo's efforts for giving the second unit the energy.
"Honestly, his third quarter sets everything off," Porter said. "His energy, him being a leader, coming out fast definitely got us up and elevated on the bench and ready to go and take it up a notch when he was ready to rest. So that's what it was.
"We know as a bench unit, we gotta come out and be ready. Especially when the energy's like that, and it's contagious, we can't let it slow. We gotta stay a foot on the gas."
The Bucks have won back-to-back games since Rivers reportedly called a meeting with Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard following a loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Lillard missed his second consecutive contest Saturday due to calf soreness.
Milwaukee sits fifth in the East at 40-30.