Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls Utah Jazz the ‘Best Team in the West’

Published 02/13/2021, 5:30 AM EST

What was a battle between two of the best teams in their respective conferences, turned out to be a one-sided affair. The Utah Jazz of the Western Conference was just too much for the Milwaukee Bucks to take. With this win, the Jazz improved their record to 21-5, while the Bucks, standing second in the Eastern Conference, slid down to 16-10. However, after their disappointing 129-115 loss, the Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed that Utah was the better team.

What is Giannis’ goal this season?

After being the top-seeded team in the East last season, I kicked the Bucks out of the playoffs by the Miami Heat. After a lot of speculation about Giannis wanting to leave the Bucks and join a team that would bring him a title, he decided to sign an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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The assumption was that Giannis’ focus would be to go all in and bring a title for the Bucks this season. Although they look like title contenders so far, Giannis has opened up about his goals for this season. And they are quite different from what one would imagine.

After his loss to the Utah Jazz, as per Eric Woodyard, Giannis stated that Utah was, “the best team in the West. It just looks fun. When I watch them play, it looks easy, it looks simple. For, sure, they look like us last year.”

But he also clarified that his goal this season is to “play the best basketball at the end. That’s my mindset. I want to improve from each game.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo has shifted his focus this season from experiencing regular season success. He says his goal is to "play the best basketball at the end."
"That's my mindset," he said. "I want to improve from each game."
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) February 13, 2021

What happened against the Utah Jazz?

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During the first quarter, the Bucks kept the game pretty close and were down just 2 buckets. It was in the second quarter that they started to fall apart. The Jazz had a 17 point advantage against them by then. Even though the third quarter was a little better, they didn’t make any meaningful plays for a comeback.

Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Joe Ingles, all finished the night with 25+ points. Whereas 27 of Giannis’ 29 points came after halftime. The reigning MVP has some different priorities, but there is no way he isn’t hungry for a title too.

They are up against the Oklahoma City Thunder next. Will they gather their momentum again? Or will this be the downfall of the Milwaukee Bucks?

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.

Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls Utah Jazz the ‘Best Team in the West’

What is Giannis’ goal this season?

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What happened against the Utah Jazz?