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During the COVID layoff, Giannis spent time with kids.
Antetokounmpo said he needed the break from the court to watch movies with his family. (0:36)
After Milwaukee's victory over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that his stint in the NBA's health and safety protocols gave him a boost.
In his first game since testing positive for COVID-19, Antetokounmpo didn't miss a step. He scored 29 of his 36 points in the second half to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a comeback victory over the Boston Celtics after trailing by as many as 19 points.
He did a great job. "You could see the fatigue," Matthews said. He's just one of those guys. He's a machine and a robot. He says he doesn't feel any pain. He keeps attacking and putting pressure on everyone. He's not content with any of it, that's the greatest thing about him.
The Celtics held Antetokounmpo to five shots in the paint in the first half, but he was much better in the second half, finishing 9-for-12 in the paint.
He was able to impose his will defensively, as well, by blocking Robert Williams III's shot at the rim with eight seconds remaining in the game, and then forcing the ball to be passed to Robert Williams III, who was able to make a layup.
"He's got that ability to make multiple-effort plays defensively with his length," Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo. He can cover a lot of ground.
Antetokounmpo said he was surprised when he initially tested positive for the virus, but that he eventually started to experience some mild symptoms. He spent most of the time in his basement watching movies, eating and drinking, but he was able to return to the court for individual workouts the past two days.
"I enjoyed it, I'm not going to lie," Antetokounmpo said. I think I need the break. You want to be out there when your teammates are fighting to win a game.
Injuries and illness have made it difficult for the Milwaukee Bucks' rotation to stay healthy, but Saturday's game was one of the healthiest since the start of the season. Bobby Portis and Donte DiVincenzo were playing in their first game since having ankle surgery last year, and Antetokounmpo cleared health and safety protocols along with them.
It went from seven to 15 players, according to Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday. We didn't have enough people to do layup lines. It's crowded now. The locker room is filled with more people. I would rather have that.
The Bucks have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference even with their lineup constantly changing. Their performance in crunch time on Saturday is an example.
The Celtics were held to four points on 1 of 6 shooting in the clutch, as the Bucks held them to five field goal attempts. Milwaukee's Big Three combined to score eight of its final 11 points on offense (3 of 6 shooting) during that stretch, and a steal from Holiday on Tatum set up a 3-pointer from Matthews to give the Bucks a lead with 30 seconds remaining.
"We have to keep in touch with one another," Antetokounmpo said. I feel like we haven't played much with one another. A guy is in health and safety protocol. A guy gets injured. We have to connect as much as possible in practice and the game to keep that chemistry going. If we stay humble and hungry, we will be able to achieve great things in the future.
