Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo did not return to the Bucks bench or locker room after being ejected against the Pistons. Instead, Giannis briefly sat amongst fans in the courtside seats while gesturing at the refs to continue the game. Eventually, Giannis was compelled to leave for the locker room after the refs threatened more reprimands against him.
Giannis' protest was a result of his ejection being fairly controversial. Giannis picked up his second technical after staring down the Pistons' Isaiah Stewart after throwing down a dunk over him. The refs didn't like this and whistled Giannis for his second tech of the game. A disbelieving Giannis tried to reason with the refs but the whistle had already been blown and the officiating team wanted Giannis out of the game. Giannis had 15 points and 9 rebounds at the time of his ejection. Furthermore, the Bucks held on for a 120-118 win.
How Is The Giannis-Dame Experiment Going?
The win over the Pistons puts the Bucks at 5-2 on the season and riding a three-game win streak. As for how the team is adjusting to the superstar tandem of Giannis and Damian Lillard, things couldn't be going better. Just 0.1 ppg separates the two players' scoring output, meaning that combined they average 48.7 points per game. Meanwhile, they have settled into their separate niches. Giannis is the rebounding, leading the team with nine boards a game. Meanwhile, Lillard is the playmaker, leading the team with 4.7 assists per game.
However, the Bucks are now very dependent on their tandem. Losing Jrue Holiday cost the Bucks a lot of defense, which can be seen in how their biggest margin of victory this season so far is just eight points. Meanwhile, when they lose - they lose hard. Their two losses this season have been 17- and 19-point blowouts to the Knicks and Raptors. Furthermore, their win over the Pistons came despite a major Pistons comeback attempt after Giannis was knocked out of the game. It remains to be seen if the powerhouse can continue powering for the entirety of the season.
[via]