Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from an eight-game injury absence and led the Milwaukee Bucks to a much-needed win in Chicago, but it didn’t come without controversy.
The Bucks star finished off the victory with an uncontested windmill dunk, which angered some members of the Bulls, as Milwaukee led by seven points prior to Antetokounmpo’s final dunk and could have just run out the clock.
He was initially confronted by Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic as Antetokounmpo walked up the court following the dunk before Bulls teammate Coby White bumped the star.
Benches soon cleared, although no punches were thrown.
Antetokounmpo defended his actions, noting where the team is in the Eastern Conference standings.
“We’re 11th in the East,” said Antetokounmpo, who’s been the subject of trade rumors. “[We’ve] got to keep finding an identity and if that’s to get a little bit of scrappy at the end, so be it. We’re not champs. Why should we play the clock out and have respect and fair play? We’re fighting for our lives right now.”
White disagreed with Antetokounmpo’s thought process.
“He shouldn’t have dunked the ball,” White said. “It’s disrespectful to the game. I said, ‘Bro, you’re better than that. The game is over with. Why [did] you [have] to do that?’ It’s a respect thing.”
It was Antetokounmpo’s first game since Dec. 3, as he’d been out due to a right calf strain. Milwaukee went 2-6 without their best player and are 13-19.
“If we keep on losing, probably half of the team is not going to be here,’’ Antetokounmpo said of Milwaukee’s plight. “We’re not going to make the playoffs. I really don’t care [what Chicago thinks]. At the end of the day, I just want to be available, be healthy and help my team win. And if [a windmill dunk] is what has to happen for everybody to wake up and understand, ‘We’re fighting for our lives and we’ve got to get our hands dirty,’ so be it.”
