Giannis: Dame and I are 'still figuring ourselves out'
Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his support for teammate Damian Lillard after his new co-star struggled in his second regular-season game with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lillard recorded six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field while adding five assists, four rebounds, and two steals in the Bucks' 127-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The veteran guard posted a plus-minus rating of minus-29 in 29 minutes of floor time.
"I know how good he is," Antetokounmpo said postgame, according to ESPN's Jamal Collier. "At the end of the day, we need him to keep shooting, we need him to keep on being great. Obviously, we didn't win the game, but he's our guy now."
He added: "It's game two. It's very, very early. We're still figuring ourselves out. We're figuring out what works. We're figuring out what we are good at, what we are not good at."
However, Antetokounmpo looked in midseason form, recording 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in 29 minutes.
"We're still learning each other," Lillard said. "It's a process of when I do have a start like this or have a game like this, how do I find it without holding onto the ball? Or, in the past, I would search sometimes, but I don't have to, so it's where do I find those moments and those opportunities to get myself going so I can be a positive out there?
"That's part of the process. It's just our second game. We haven't played a bunch of games together. I think as we go, we'll figure that out and get better at it."
The Bucks never held a lead against the Hawks on Sunday, trailing by as much as 31 points during the game.
Milwaukee can pick up its second win of the season against the Miami Heat on Monday. Miami upset the Bucks in the first round of last season's playoffs and was one of Lillard's preferred destinations when he requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers over the summer.
Lillard said Sunday that he has no extra motivation for the contest versus the Heat.
"I've never played on their team," Lillard said. "I mentioned that it was the destination for me when I asked to be traded last year, but I was traded here. I was excited to be here. I'm happy to be here. I fit in great here. For me, personally, that was the end of it. I never thought about it after that."