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Giannis Returns With a Message, Reaffirms Commitment as Bucks Weigh Roster Moves

Milwaukee plans to pursue help before the Feb. 5 deadline despite scarce trade assets and no trade request from its star.

Overview

  • Playing his first game after eight missed with a calf strain, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points in a 112-103 win in Chicago, finishing with a late windmill dunk that led Bulls players Nikola Vucevic and Coby White to confront him as benches briefly cleared.
  • Antetokounmpo said the dunk was a wake-up call for a team sitting 11th in the East, warning that if losses continue “probably half of the team” could change.
  • He rejected questions about wanting a trade, calling them disrespectful and saying, “I’m here… as long as I’m here, I’m going to give everything I have.”
  • Antetokounmpo followed the Bulls win with 24 points in a road victory over the Hornets under a minutes restriction, calling the upcoming stretch a make-or-break month for the Bucks.
  • Team and league reporting indicates the Bucks are operating as buyers ahead of the deadline, though they have limited tradable draft capital and salary-matching options.