The Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night despite another 30-point night from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Pascal Siakam was incredible for the Raptors, getting a 30-point triple double of his own. During the game, Giannis went to the line 17 times, making all 17 of his free-throws. However, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer did not feel it was enough.
Speaking after the game, Budenholzer said that the Greek Freak should get a lot more free throws than he does. Giannis responded to his coach’s words later, suggesting that all the calls are fair but implying that if he said otherwise, he would get fined by the league.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, when I asked him about this comment from Budenholzer:
"I want to save my money…If it wasn't called a foul, then it wasn't a foul." https://t.co/s62czuxkhW
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 16, 2022
Mike Budenholzer: “Giannis gets 17 free throws, but I think you could argue he could have 27 or 30 free throws. As a team, we had 35. I think you could argue we could have had 45 or 50.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I want to save my money…If it wasn’t called a foul, then it wasn’t a foul.”
The Greek Freak is second in the league in free throws attempted, shooting 9.5 every game. However, his nearly unstoppable athletic ability and affinity to scoring in the paint does mean that Giannis doesn’t get a whistle every time he is fouled. While Budenholzer’s complaints may be valid, the Bucks will know that they should be winning these games regardless of refereeing decisions if they want to repeat as champions.
The Milwaukee Bucks currently hold a 27-18 record after their loss against Toronto and have fallen to the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. They are merely half a game away from the 6th seed Cleveland Cavaliers and will need to go on a winning streak to give themselves a cushion in the standings. Giannis is averaging 28.5 points and 11 rebounds a game, and is again making a strong case for himself as the MVP of the league.
