MILWAUKEE — As Mikal Bridges drove down the lane 4 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo peeled off his assignment and trailed the New York Knicks forward to the rim.
Bridges took off before Antetokounmpo, but the Milwaukee Bucks’ long-limbed forward made up the ground in the air and smacked Bridges’ finger roll off the glass, just as he did in the first minute of Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals when Bridges was a member of the Phoenix Suns. His new teammate Myles Turner grabbed the loose ball and started the fast break with an outlet pass.
Eventually, Gary Trent Jr. made his way to the lane. He missed an off-balanced floater off the glass, but Antetokounmpo was there to clean it up. The two-time MVP beat Karl-Anthony Towns to the rebound, pivoted underneath the rim and threw down a one-handed dunk, which inspired Knicks coach Mike Brown to call a timeout.
This is his city. pic.twitter.com/vYGZnIFACa
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 29, 2025
“This is my city,” Antetokounmpo yelled to a raucous Fiserv Forum crowd as he made his way to the bench. “I love when it’s tough; I thrive when it’s tough. When you make it tough, I thrive.”
The Bucks still trailed by 3, but they had chopped 9 points off the Knicks’ halftime lead, and Antetokounmpo was in the process of making a statement. In his 10-minute third-quarter shift, Antetokounmpo put up 12 points and four assists and left the game with the Bucks up by 2.
Ultimately, the Bucks put together a 121-111 win to move to 3-1. Within it Antetokounmpo put together another incredible performance to start the season, with 37 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.
“What I love about Giannis right now is the numbers are just coming,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “He isn’t searching for anything. He’s not searching to score. He’s just doing it all and it’s coming organically.
“And then at the end of the game when you add everything up, you’re like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know he did that much.’ And that’s the beautiful part of his game right now.”
WHAT A NIGHT FOR GIANNIS!
37 PTS
8 REB
7 AST pic.twitter.com/dO2ErEVGaM— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 29, 2025
Antetokounmpo would have preferred for his play on the floor, the Bucks’ strong start to the season and his exclamation toward the crowd to do all the talking for him Tuesday night, but that was not the case. After Milwaukee’s first meeting with New York, the two-time MVP was once again asked about the offseason ESPN report that connected him to the Knicks, and he shut down those conversations, just as he helped the Bucks shut down the Knicks.
“Right now, I’m here representing my team. And that’s it,” Antetokounmpo said after shaking his head at the question about the validity of the report. “We beat the Knicks. That’s all. Doesn’t really matter. What matters is we have a game in two days against Golden State — try to stay locked in and get two in a row.
“But I didn’t read that article. I try to stay away from all that rumors and — what you call it? — speculation, trades and all this. It doesn’t concern me one bit. I try to involve myself (in my play), and I try to win games.”
Antetokounmpo was forceful on the floor, throwing down dunks, blocking shots and leading the Bucks to a win, so he was asked whether the reports led to giving anything extra against the Knicks, in particular.
“For sure. There was a lot extra. They swept us last year. Swept us,” Antetokounmpo answered, taking the question in a different direction. “They were way better than us last year. And we didn’t make it tough for them. It was very easy, in my opinion. And as the leader of this team, I remember. I don’t forget things.
“And I try to — from early at shootaround — set the tone for the team and try to remind them, ‘Last year, they swept us. Same as the Cavs.’ So, I think the team responded in the best way. So I’m happy.”
Though the rest of the league has started the season waiting for the Bucks to falter and to see Antetokounmpo change his mind about remaining in Milwaukee, the Bucks have quickly cultivated a new identity through the leadership of Antetokounmpo and newcomer Turner.
After the Bucks’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Antetokounmpo expressed pride in his team’s willingness to play hard and fight until the end despite missing three of its top eight rotation players. He also told reporters that good teams don’t lose two games in a row, however, and that this year’s Bucks would need to turn every game into a bar fight, echoing a famous sentiment from Kevin Garnett while playing for the Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks came out determined to prove that Tuesday night.
Ryan Rollins, starting at point guard in place of an injured Kevin Porter Jr., knocked down 3s on Milwaukee’s first two possessions before leaving the game with a bloody lip after taking an elbow to the face from Bridges. After going to the locker room for treatment, Rollins returned and scored a career-high 25 points while being asked to defend Knicks star Jalen Brunson on the other end.
Kyle Kuzma, who has been asked to come off the bench this season, scored just 5 points but made some of the best defensive plays of the game in isolation against Towns. Undersized against the Knicks’ starting center, Kuzma fought for position and walled up Towns from getting to the paint to help the Bucks get stops.
To close the game, the team showed off that fight and determination in concert. After another block from Antetokounmpo, AJ Green pulled up for a deep 3 in transition but missed. The rebound bounced high off the rim, and Antetokounmpo soared to perfectly tip it to Gary Trent Jr. in the corner for a 3. He missed as well, but Turner grabbed that rebound and saved it back to Antetokounmpo as he fell out of bounds.
Antetokounmpo got fouled as he tried to finish the play he had started on the other end, so the Bucks scored only 1 point off that sequence, but it spoke to the identity Antetokounmpo has tried to foster within this season’s team.
“I just love playing basketball,” Antetokounmpo told reporters to close his postgame media session. “And I try to speak on the court.”
Even if he had to speak after the game, his performance Tuesday clearly articulated how he feels about what he can do with his team this season.
