The Milwaukee Bucks dropped to 17-22 in this 2025-26 NBA season following a disappointing 108-104 loss to the severely undermanned Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Sunday. The Nuggets were without four starters on the night, but still led by as many as 15 points at one stage, and Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed some of his frustrations postgame.
“Why should we always be playing from behind?” Antetokounmpo said. “Why? And when we have a lead, why do we always have to give it up… We got to be able to be mature, get the right shot, don’t be comfortable with any lead that we get, and understand how we got to play.
“When Giannis is not on the floor, we got to be more aggressive, more physical,” Antetokounmpo stated. “We got to move the ball more. We got to be more decisive, get in the paint more. This is the time that we got to go. When I come back on the floor, okay, now we got to play through Giannis, make sure he touches because now the moment he touch, he creates so much gravity, so much attention that we can get wide open shots.
“And just defensively we always got to be simple and solid for 48 minutes,” Antetokounmpo added. “That’s it. It’s a simple game plan. I don’t think it’s complicated at all. But for some reason, we don’t seem that we can do it. We do it at times and at times we don’t do it.”
Antetokounmpo has been suggesting in his media sessions lately that the offense has to run through him when he’s on the court, but it doesn’t seem like that message is getting across to the coaching staff and his teammates. There were a couple of possessions down the stretch in this game where the two-time MVP didn’t get the ball at all. That simply cannot happen with the kind of talent around him.
Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points (10-17 FG), eight rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, and two blocks against the Nuggets. The 31-year-old had a plus-minus of +16 in his 33 minutes, which means the Bucks were outscored by 20 in the 15 minutes he wasn’t on the court. That’s terrible.
The Bucks’ starting backcourt struggled massively on the night. Kevin Porter Jr. had 10 points (4-17 FG) while Ryan Rollins had two points (1-9 FG). This helps explain why the Bucks lost to a Nuggets team that was without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson.
The Nuggets are now 4-3 without Jokic this season. Murray and Aaron Gordon haven’t played in a few of those games either, and the fact that the team is still staying afloat is a credit to the players, coaches, and the front office. The Nuggets have faced criticism over the years for not surrounding Jokic with good enough talent. They have done that this season and are very much among the serious title contenders.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have not put a great supporting cast around Antetokounmpo. They have a woeful 3-11 record this season when the nine-time All-Star doesn’t play. It’s why you wouldn’t really blame Antetokounmpo if he asks out after this season. He has stated he isn’t going anywhere, but if this campaign ends terribly, you’d imagine he would change his mind.
The Bucks are in action next against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday at 8 PM ET.
