-
Eric WoodyardESPN
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly didn’t like suffering a 129-115 defeat on the road to Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena on Friday night, but he can’t help but admire how “simple” the game looked for them.
Most importantly, Jazz has earned their respect: Antetokounmpo said they are the “best team in the West”.
Antetokounmpo, the current NBA MVP, finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, after having two points in the first half – his lowest number in any semester this season.
And after witnessing Jazz having four 25-point scorers for the first time in the franchise’s history, Antetokounmpo felt a personal connection to what was happening before his eyes.
“It looks like fun. Like when I watch them play, it looks like fun, it looks easy,” said Antetokounmpo. “It sounds simple. Sure, they look like us last year, and man, when you’re at that point and are playing with that confidence, it’s hard to beat you for sure.”
Like last season’s Bucks, Jazz (21-5) has the best NBA record. They have won 17 of their last 18 games, with the first win of that stretch also against Bucks on January 8.
Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles scored 27 points each, and Donovan Mitchell added 26 points with eight assists and six rebounds. Jordan Clarkson went to 25 points off the bench.
Ingles said it would take a minute to celebrate the victory, but after that it would all go back to work.
“I don’t think we’re so satisfied yet,” said Ingles, who scored 4 to 4 in the 3-point range.
That’s because his goals are much higher than those of the regular season, especially after last season, when he lost a 3-1 lead to Denver and was eliminated in the first round.
“We don’t want to be the best team in February; we want to be the best team in July,” said Mitchell.
Being respected in the lead role is still new to Mitchell and his teammates. As leaders in Utah, Mitchell and Gobert’s paths to becoming NBA All-Stars were not always written in stone, and they developed an underdog mentality that was carried over to the team.
“It’s different in my four years. You look at all of us and each individual story … [we were] underestimated, “said Mitchell.” I think we are now at a point where people are coming to us, and the way we respond to that is very impressive. I think there’s a lot more we can do to keep improving, but it doesn’t hurt to be in the moment and understand that what we’re doing is really cool. “
The road doesn’t get much easier for Utah, with the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and consecutive games against the LA Clippers in a row. So it’s Charlotte on February 22, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers on February 24 and the Heat again on February 26.
Although the emphasis may not be on the regular season, Jazz knows that it cannot ignore it either.
However, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said: “No one is hitting their chests for anything we have done.
“Frankly, you never want to do that and it is never appropriate, unless you are the last surviving team,” said Snyder. “This is something that we will continue to try to avoid.”