‘The Greek Freak’:
Warriors defenders take their turns trying to slow down Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Warriors forward Jordan Bell took his turn Thursday night. So did Kevon Looney and Kevin Durant and, every now and then, Damian Jones.
They all received a rude, all-too-vivid reminder: Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is nicknamed “The Greek Freak” for a reason.
Antetokounmpo spun through the lane to draw fouls, soared skyward for electrifying dunks and emerged from nowhere to emphatically block shots. He scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Bucks rolled to a 134-111 victory at Oracle Arena.
Just like that, the Warriors (10-2) looked eminently vulnerable and the Bucks (9-2) validated their fast start to the season. One day earlier, Stephen Curry had compared these Bucks to the Warriors of 2014-15, who climbed to another level — and won the NBA championship — behind the leadership of then-new head coach Steve Kerr.
Curry’s point: Milwaukee’s new head coach, Mike Budenholzer, could “unlock” the potential the Bucks have showed the past few years. Thursday night’s game offered compelling evidence to support the theory.
The equation starts with Antetokounmpo, who stands 6-foot-11 and has arms reaching halfway to the stars. He also owns the agility and ball-handling skills to make defending him a distinctive, crazy-difficult challenge.
Antetokounmpo repeatedly drew fouls, finishing 10-for-11 at the line.
“He’s a mismatch problem, especially with bigs guarding him,” Durant said after the game. “... They throw it to him at the top of the key and it’s like a mini-fast break. He’s way more athletic than the bigs guarding him, so he can get to the cup pretty easy.”
Durant clearly is a big fan of Antetokounmpo. Last year, Durant said, “I’ve never seen anything like him. He could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted. That’s pretty scary to think about. He’s by far my favorite player to watch.”
Antetokounmpo had 19 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Then, early in the third quarter, he charged through the lane and scored in heavy traffic, shooting over Jones while Curry unsuccessfully tried to help.
Antetokounmpo ultimately got into foul trouble, picking up his fifth late in the third quarter. By then, the Bucks had the game well in hand — in part because they have several good players, including guards Eric Bledsoe (26 points) and Malcolm Brogdon (20).
As for the Warriors, Bell replaced Draymond Green (sprained right foot/big toe) in the starting lineup and put himself squarely in Antetokounmpo’s path. This was Bell’s first start of the young season, after he made 13 as a rookie last season.
The Warriors’ first possession was promising: Bell took a pass from Curry, assertively drove the lane and made a nice bank shot. Then, on Milwaukee’s subsequent possession, reality struck: Antetokounmpo roared through the lane and drew a foul on Bell. He picked up his second foul only 4:47 into the game — again, thanks to Antetokounmpo — and quickly headed to the bench.
“He’s very hard not to foul,” Bell said. “He’s so long and athletic, you kind of panic.”
Bell continues to struggle early in his second pro season. He’s stuck behind Jones and Looney in the rotation at center, though Kerr has turned to Bell more often recently.
“He struggled a little bit out there, but everybody did,” Kerr said. “Tough night for the whole crew.”