Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez was been adamant about his team being the same squad as always, even with two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo recently sidelined for his first game of the season.
“It’s kind of exciting. Giannis gets a chance to rest, to refill his cup, and we get a chance to get better and see what it’s like without him on the court and get better in that way,” Lopez told Sports Illustrated before netting a team-high 25 points in the team’s 108-94 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With Antetokounmpo nursing left knee soreness, the Bucks jumped out to a 67-53 halftime lead and never looked back in rolling to their ninth straight win to open the season. Grayson Allen (19 points), Jevon Carter (18 points) and Bobby Portis (12 points) combined to score 49 points to lead the way for the Central Division leaders, who also got 10 points and 13 assists from all-star guard Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks’ red hot start marks the league’s best since 2015-16 season when the Golden State Warriors won 24 straight, on the way to a league record 73-win season. With Antetokounmpo back in the lineup on Nov. 7, Milwaukee suffered its first loss of the season, falling 117-98 to the Atlanta Hawks.
With the Bucks having posted wins over the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons (twice) and Minnesota Timberwolves, Antetokounmpo is leading the way, averaging 32.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1 steal and 1.5 blocks per game.
Equally as impressive, the Bucks have staged their hot streak with All-Star guard Khris Middleton in and out of the lineup, slowly working his way back from off-season surgery for a torn ligament in his left wrist.
