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Eric WoodyardESPN
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly didn’t enjoy losing by 129-115 by road against the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Arena on Friday night, but he couldn’t help but admire how “simple” the it looked like the game.
More importantly, the Jazz earned their respect: Antetokounmpo said they were the “best team in the West.”
Antetokounmpo, the current NBA MVP, finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, after staying with two points from the first half, his lowest in the middle of this season.
And after witnessing the Jazz with four 25-point scorers for the first time in franchise history, Antetokounmpo felt a personal connection to what was happening before his eyes.
“It sounds funny. Like when I see them play, it looks funny, it seems easy,” Antetokounmpo said. “It sounds simple. Sure, they look like us last year, and man, when you’re in that moment and you play with that confidence, it’s hard for you to win for sure.”
Like last season’s Bucks, the Jazz (21-5) have the best record in the NBA. They have won 17 of their last 18 games, with the first win of this stretch also against the Bucks on January 8th.
Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles added 27 points, and Donovan Mitchell added 26 points with eight assists and six rebounds. Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points from the bench.
Ingles said it would take a minute to celebrate the victory, but then he would return to work.
“We’re still not so satisfied,” said Ingles, who went from 4 to 4 from three points.
This is because their goals are much bigger than the regular season, especially after last season, when they gave Denver a 3-1 lead and were 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,” Mitchell said.
Being respected in the lead role remains a novelty for 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 have developed a childhood mentality that has been passed down to the team.
“It’s different in my four years. You look at each and every individual story … [we were] undervalued, “Mitchell said.” I think we are now at a point where people are approaching us and the way we have responded to this 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 pretty cool. “
The road doesn’t get much easier for the Utah, with the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers and consecutive games against the LA Clippers. Then it will be Charlotte on February 22, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers on February 24 and the Heat again on February 26.
While the emphasis may not be on the regular season, the Jazz know they can’t overlook it either.
However, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said: “No one is beating their breasts for anything we have done.
“Frankly, you never want to do that and it’s never appropriate unless you’re the last team standing,” Snyder said. “This is something we will continue to try to avoid.”