MILWAUKEE — With 2 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 136-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, Doc Rivers brought Kyle Kuzma back into the game for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo, who had already put up 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes, did not take a seat on the bench, though. Instead, he walked straight back to the Bucks’ locker room. As Antetokounmpo breezed past the bench, starting center Brook Lopez rose from his seat and followed the two-time MVP.
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Neither player was injured. They had been sent back to the locker room by their head coach.
“We knew Detroit won (against the New York Knicks), so it didn’t matter what we did in the game,” Rivers explained. “The game was under control and we got a flight, so we wanted to have guys get in the shower, get their treatment.”
The result of Thursday’s game no longer mattered because the Bucks’ magic number to clinch the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference standings was two at the start of the day. If the Bucks won and the Pistons has lost to the Knicks in Detroit, the Bucks could have clinched the fifth spot Thursday night. With a Pistons win, though, the Bucks now have to beat the Pistons at least once in their final two games, either Friday in Detroit or Sunday in Milwaukee.
So, with a flight to Detroit to catch on Thursday night, Antetokounmpo went straight from the floor to the locker room to begin his postgame routine of stretching, lifting and showering to get himself ready to depart as quickly as possible once the game ended.
“Obviously, you want to play the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “You want to finish what you started. Obviously, I have huge trust in my teammates, I know that they can finish the game in a situation like that when my coaching staff tells me to go in the back and get ready for the next game.
“My first instinct is I want to finish the game, but then as a leader, try to be smart. I know that we have two playoff (type) games in front of us, so I just gotta make a smart decision and put myself in a situation to help my team compete. It’s weird. It’s weird. I’ve never done it before.”
Double-double dominance from Giannis.
28 PTS | 11 REB | 5 AST | 65% FG pic.twitter.com/eLGTPKyMep
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 11, 2025
As the Bucks’ starters and regular rotation players left Thursday’s game, they all followed Antetokounmpo’s lead and walked straight back to the locker room. Kyle Kuzma (17 points) came out of the game with 7:34 remaining, he went straight to the locker room. When Gary Trent Jr. (17 points) left the floor with 7:16 remaining, he followed his teammates’ lead to the back. Same with Kevin Porter Jr. (20 points, five rebounds, seven assists, five steals) with 5:18 left.
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By the time the Bucks had five reserves on the floor, starting point guard Ryan Rollins was the only active player remaining on the bench, just in case there was an injury and Rivers needed to make a substitution. The absurdity of the Bucks’ players running off the floor before the game was completed helped underscore just how important the final two games of the regular season will be for Milwaukee.
“It’s the first part of the Play-In,” Rivers said. “I mean, that’s basically what it is in some ways. It’s going to be a great experience. I’m looking forward to it. I think the crowd in Detroit is going to be amazing. They’re going to play hard. They’re going to play well. And we’re going to have to match it. I can’t think of a better scenario going into the playoffs than this.”
For the Bucks, it’s simple: beat the Pistons once in the next two games and take the fifth spot in the East.
But while it is simple for the Bucks to figure out how to get their preferred playoff seed, the Pacers and Knicks have thrown an unexpected wrinkle into the Bucks’ ability to play their preferred first-round opponent.
As the Bucks have been pushing for the fifth seed over the last week or so, they have done so under the belief that it would give them a series against the fourth-seeded Pacers. The logic behind that preference is obvious. Milwaukee went 3-1 against the Pacers in the regular season, and their only loss came in Indiana on a miracle 4-point play by Tyrese Haliburton in the waning moments. On the other hand, Milwaukee lost all three times it played No. 3 New York and lost by a combined 65 points.
While meeting the Pacers in the postseason is still the most likely scenario, the Knicks’ actions in Detroit suggest that may no longer be a guarantee. On Thursday, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau did not play OG Anunoby, Josh Hart or Mitchell Robinson against the Pistons. He also played P.J. Tucker, who had played two minutes all season, 27 minutes in the losing effort. Those moves suggest the Knicks (50-30) may actually want to see the Pacers (49-31) jump them for the third seed to drop down to the fourth.
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No matter what the other teams in the East are doing, though, it is not the Bucks’ concern.
“We’re competing,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re able to score the ball. We always keep our composure, no matter what time and score. Guys are competing, man. I love where we are right now. We just gotta stay humble, go (to) each game in front of us and try to give everything we have.”
On Thursday, after they found out it didn’t matter if they beat the Pelicans, that meant doing everything in their power to get to Detroit as quickly as possible to give themselves the best chance at beating the Pistons and grabbing the fifth seed in the East.
(Photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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