"Sometimes the dice don't roll your way": Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps his head high despite In-Season semis loss
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo rued the missed opportunity for them to advance to the Finals of the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament but has come to terms with it and is now moving forward.
The Bucks saw their campaign in the “tournament within a tournament” come to a sorry end after they lost, 128-119, to the Indiana Pacers in their semi-final showdown on Thursday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Entering the contest, Milwaukee was installed as the favorite to win the game but Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers begged to disagree and bucked the odds en route to the huge victory.
Following the defeat, Giannis Antetokounmpo took to X, formerly Twitter, to make his thoughts on it known, choosing to keep things in perspective.
The "Greek Freak" wrote:
"Sometimes the dice don't roll your way"
The Bucks had their struggles in the opening half against Indiana but upped their level of play in the second half to send the game to a competitive finish.
The game was nip-and-tuck until the Pacers, led by All-Star Haliburton, made a late run in the closing minutes from which Milwaukee could not recover.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, finishing with 37 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in 40 minutes of play. Damian Lillard had 24 points while Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez had 20 and 18 points, respectively.
Despite the loss, the Bucks players will each receive $100,000 for reaching the semi-finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo urges team to be better after semi-final loss
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is not totally down on his team after their semi-final loss on Thursday in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar said positives could be drawn from their campaign just as he urged the team to be better after it.
Indiana ended Milwaukee’s promising In-Season campaign by emerging on top, 128-119, of their semifinal joust on Thursday in Las Vegas.
Following the defeat, Antetokounmpo gave his take on their game against the Pacers and their whole campaign.
As per ESPN, the one-time NBA champion said:
"The talent level we have is incredible. But we have to be more organized. I feel like sometimes we're not organized at all.
“We have to be better. We have to go out there and take it. You know at the end of the day, I think we are great players, but if we don't go out there and compete, they are not going to respect us. They played their best against us."
The Finals of the NBA In-Season Tournament will take place on Saturday with the Pacers battling the LA Lakers for the NBA Cup.