Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic know a thing or two about getting scratched on their arms during games by defenders. After leading his Milwaukee Bucks to a 112-95 win over Jokic’s Denver Nuggets on Monday night, Giannis was asked if he sees those scars as somewhat of a badge of honor.
“I feel guys like him, it’s hard to guard them and sometimes you going to do whatever you can to stop them, even sometimes scratch them,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think you see scratches because he has lighter skin than me. I have a lot of scratches on my arms too. My significant other thinks it’s sexy so I love it.”
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There was a time when Giannis constantly made dad jokes, but he has now transitioned to making references along these lines about his life with his wife. Earlier this season, Antetokounmpo claimed he would think about losing to the Pacers four times when he gets freaky in bed.
Getting back to the scratches, it is indeed a sign of just how desperate defenders are to stop him and Jokic. The Serb’s white complexion means you can very clearly see the scratch marks, and pictures of Jokic with them have gone viral on numerous occasions in the last year or so.
There is one that stands out, with the 28-year-old suffering a massive cut on his arm in a game against the Brooklyn Nets earlier this season.
With Giannis, these scratches or cuts can be a bit harder to spot. One of the times they were quite visible was back in the 2021 NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns.
Look at the scratches on Giannis' arm. Says a lot about how Phoenix is defending him. pic.twitter.com/IkV0EKoaaF
— Kellen (@Kellen_Jonathan) July 10, 2021
In the end, it didn’t matter what the Suns did as Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the title by winning the series in six games. He is now hoping that 2024 will be the year when he wins his second championship.
Giannis And The Bucks Got Their First Statement Win Under Doc Rivers
Despite being 30-13 under first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, the Bucks felt they needed someone else at the helm in order to win that championship. The man they turned to was Doc Rivers. Rivers was not a very popular hire among fans, however, as while he had won a championship, it was all the way back in 2008.
Rivers’ teams had also repeatedly fallen short in the playoffs since then, and the way his Bucks tenure started raised even more concerns. Milwaukee only won one of its first six games with him at the helm, but things have gotten better now.
They crushed the Charlotte Hornets 120-84 on Friday night and followed it up with their first statement win under Rivers by blowing out the Nuggets to improve to 35-19. Giannis led the way against Denver, finishing with 36 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks as he completely outplayed Jokic.
It will be interesting to see whether the Bucks have now actually turned a corner under Rivers. Another stern test will come their way right after the All-Star break when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. If the Bucks blow them away as well, that would be the indicator that they are well and truly back on track.
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