Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo says his side will get their “asses kicked” if they play like they did in Thursday’s 140-99 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks remain top of the Eastern Conference with an NBA-best record of 55-22, but the Celtics remain in contention to snatch the East’s top seed.
The Celtics’ win improved their record to 53-24, with Jayson Tatum top scoring with 40 points and eight rebounds, while Jaylen Brown added 30 points.
Boston blew out the Bucks by half-time, leading 75-47 before a 39-27 third quarter with Antetokounmpo among those to struggle with 24 points on 11-of-27 shooting.
“We know what the deal is,” the Greek forward told reporters. “It’s not hard to understand.
“If you’re not focused, if you don’t play hard, they’re going to kick our ass.
“Simple as that. There’s no level of concern. It’s a fact. Now you have this in your head and it’s up to us to see how we’re going to deal with it.
“Are we going to go and play the same way? If we play the same way, we’ll have the same outcome.
“We got to change some stuff. We got to compete. We got to have some pride.”
The Bucks have five more regular-season games left to clinch the top seed, including taking on third-placed Philadelphia 76ers along with the Memphis Grizzlies who are second in the West. The Celtics are also still to face the 76ers.
