Mike Budenholzer on whistling standards for Giannis Antetokounmpo: "I just think sometimes the hits that Giannis is taking, the league needs to look at them"
Giannis Antetokounmpo has Mike Budenholzer in his corner. The Milwaukee Bucks head coach had some sharp words for the NBA after his superstar player was subject to more physical punishment in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Speaking to the media after the Bucks registered a 119-111 victory, Budenholzer urged the league to "protect" Giannis Antetokounmpo in light of the physical play that the 2021 Finals MVP is subjected to. Budenholder said:
"I just think sometimes the hits that Giannis is taking, the league needs to look at them. The league needs to protect him."
The play that caused Budenholzer to make that remark occurred late in the third quarter, with Antetokounmpo collecting a rebound and running coast-to-coast towards the Portland basket.
However, the two-time league MVP got fouled by Portland's Jerami Grant even as Drew Eubanks tripped into him. Then, as Antetokounmpo was going to the ground, Justise Winslow tried to keep him up by holding his neck and tried to support his fall. The whole play did not look good on replay, but was still ruled a common foul.
Despite the rough play, Antetokounmpo finished with a very impressive performance. He had 37 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Antetokounmpo shot 66.7% from the field and was a game-high plus-19 overall. This was Giannis's third 35-plus-point game this season.
Speaking of playing through contact and the physical punishment his body has to go through, Antetokounmpo said:
''I take a lot of hard hits but at the end of the day it's basketball. I enjoy putting my body on the line. It puts a fire in my belly and wakes me up. When I get hit, I kind of enjoy it. I feel I'm part of the game, I'm locked in and I'm being aggressive.''
Joel Embiid lands hard foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo, play ruled Flagrant 1 on review
Just a few days ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the receiving end of a similar hard foul from Joel Embiid. The play happened when the Milwaukee Bucks visited the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday (Nov. 18). The 76ers were leading 71-69 with less than six minutes left in the third quarter.
After Jordan Nwora passed the ball to him, Antetokounmpo found himself, running the floor, in a one-on-one situation versus Embiid. However, to deny The Greek Freak an easy transition bucket, the Philadelphia center launched a hard elbow into the Milwaukee forward's mid-section.
Antetokoumpo could be seen feeling his stomach after Embiid's foul. He even went and sat on the floor for a few seconds to recover from the hard contact with his body. Commentators calling the game were convinced that Embiid had committed a Flagrant 2 foul, believing that his play was "excessive and unnecessary".
However, upon review, the officials ruled Embiid's play as a Flagrant 1, meaning that the Philadelphia center was allowed to remain in the game. The 76ers would go on to win the contest 110-102. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points on 45.5% shooting from the field.