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Giannis Antetokounmpo raring to go vs. the Knicks for In-Season KO quarterfinal duel

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Matthew Dugandzic | Last updated Dec 4, 2023 7:37 AM ET

After a two-day break, the Milwaukee Bucks will return to action for a critical contest, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is extremely excited.

Going for the trophy

The Bucks will host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in the knockout quarterfinal round of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

The winner in the Milwaukee-New York duel will play the victor in the other quarterfinal duel between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers.

The quarterfinal pairings in the West are the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The semifinals will be held in Las Vegas on December 7th.

"I'm excited—big game on Tuesday. Hopefully, we can win the game and hopefully go to Vegas and try to fight for an opportunity to win a trophy," Giannis said.

NY will be no easy win

The Bucks advance to the quarterfinals unbeaten, scoring a clean 4-0 sweep in the group play of East Group B. The Knicks made it to the quarters as a wild-card qualifier.

The Bucks nipped the Knicks 110-105 in their group play duel.

Damian Lillard scored 30 points in the win, while Antetokounmpo tallied 22 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Milwaukee's other In-Season Tournament wins came against Charlotte (130-99), Washington (131-128), and Miami (131-124).

Giannis observed that the In-Season Tournament has drawn a lot of attention. With this, the Greek Freak anticipates an electrifying atmosphere at the Fiserv Forum.

"I feel like there's a lot of excitement, a lot of hype behind it," said Giannis. "You probably see on Tuesday, there's going to be a lot of owners here, a lot of people come to watch, maybe some celebrities."

A victory against the Knicks will bring the Bucks closer to the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament title and to the whopping $500 thousand cash prize that will be given to each player and coach of the winning team.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Bucks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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