SO SAD: bad news for Antonio Spurs coach

The Milwaukee Bucks got the win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, but not by much. San Antonio has been a team that has struggled to pick up wins, but they pushed Milwaukee all the way until the end and thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard’s endgame performances, the Bucks were able to close out a 125-121 win.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, finished Thursday’s contest with 44 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. Damian Lillard tagged on 25 points, ten assists, four rebounds, and a steal as the dynamic duo help Milwaukee snag a win after starting the year off with back-to-back losses against the Indiana Pacers.

Head coach Adrian Griffin said that having Lillard and Antetokounmpo on the court in those clutch moments makes you feel like you have a chance to win.

“Giannis and Dame, when you have them in the fourth quarter, you always feel like you have a chance. So I take my chances with them seven days a week,” Griffin said.

Griffin went on to talk about how the presence of the two all-stars was felt and needed as they combined to score 23 of Milwaukee’s 24 points in that ending period. The head coach also talked about how these two are providing a well-needed boost for the team.

“They’ve been there. They’ve seen all this before. Nothing is too big for them, and they’re both calm and collected,” Griffin said. “What I do like the most is that in the huddles, Dame was talking about how we need to get stops, especially down the stretch.

“When you have your star players, your elite players and your leaders…those guys are being the leaders in the timeouts,” Griffin said. “They’re preaching, ‘we need to buckle down, we need to get stops’. That’s what makes our group special.”

While this is just one win to start the new year, Griffin says the team still has plenty to do, especially on the defensive end. But, coach has said that he’s confident that Giannis and Dame will also continue to improve and help the team down the stretch.

“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re heading in the right direction. Our key guys are talking about the right things, and that’s the defensive end. We’ll continue to get better on that end.”