Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and added eight rebounds in the Bucks' 112-103 win over the Bulls on Saturday night.
The victory was a much-needed one for the Bucks, who moved to 13-19 on the season, and are looking to a make a pre-All-Star break push with Antetokounmpo back in the lineup.
The postgame was dominated by Antetokounmpo's windmill slam with time waning and the game well in-hand. Bulls players took offense to it, with Chicago guard Coby White calling the play "disrespectful."
For the Bucks star however, the play was meant to light a fire under players on his own roster.
"We're 11th in the East," Antetokounmpo said after the game, via Jamal Collier of ESPN. "Got to keep finding an identity. If that's to get a little bit scrappy at the end, so be it. We're not the champs. Why should we play the clock out, have respect and fair play? We're fighting for our lives right now. ... I've been 13 years in the league. If we keep on losing, probably half of the team not going to be here. We're not going to make the playoffs... and if [a windmill dunk] is what has to happen for everybody to wake up and understand we're fighting for our lives, so be it."
Antetokounmpo is not going to have his team back down, especially with him back healthy in the starting lineup. The franchise at least has a fighting chance now to salvage its season, and he clearly doesn't want it to go to waste.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giannis Defends Controversial Late-Game Windmill Slam: 'We're 11th in the East'.
