MILWAUKEE (AP) — Stranded in New Orleans amid a historic snowstorm, the Milwaukee Bucks spent so much time in the Big Easy that they got to know the staffers working in their hotel.
They finally got back to Milwaukee less than three hours before the start of their Thursday night game, which was pushed back an hour to accommodate their late arrival. Then they calmly trounced the Miami Heat 125-96 for their fifth consecutive victory.
Not bad for a team that hadn’t so much as practiced since its home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Bucks arrived in New Orleans on Monday to get ahead of the storm.
When a foot of snow fell in the city, the Bucks were stuck in their hotel with nothing to do, as their scheduled Wednesday night game against the Pelicans got postponed.
“What was weird was just sitting in a dang hotel room for three days with no basketball, nothing to do,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I will say the Four Seasons were amazing. All the employees slept there for three days themselves. They couldn’t go home. They were snowed in, and we were happy they were snowed in because that meant we had somebody working at the hotel, so it all worked out.
“We got to know each other very well – everybody – because it was the same group of people walking around the hotel for three days.”
The Bucks tried to find ways to occupy their time, which led to the odd sight of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo dribbling a basketball at the Four Seasons ballroom. He had to find some way to get himself ready for the Bucks’ next game.
“Ate a lot of gumbo, lot of gumbo, man,” Antetokounmpo said. “I kind of got tired of gumbo.”
Rivers credited Antetokounmpo and seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard for making sure the team would be ready to play Thursday even after all they had encountered the last few days. The Bucks wanted to make sure this game didn't get postponed because they have so few days off the second half of the season.
“I think us telling them this morning that we wanted to play this game, that we're not going to cancel this game, I think helped them mentally early,” Rivers said. “We didn't know we were going to play the game, but we felt like it was important to say that. We didn't want them thinking this was a 50-50 thing. We wanted to play this game.”
Considering the Bucks hadn't practiced as a team while snowed in at their hotel, they had an understandably sluggish start Thursday night. They trailed the Heat 18-3 midway through the first quarter.
But they dominated the rest of the way.
“That was as professional of a win as you could have,” Rivers said. “I was really proud of our guys.”
Gary Trent Jr. scored a season-high 21 points and shot 7 of 10 from 3-point range. Lillard went scoreless for the first 18 1/2 minutes but finished with 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
For a few minutes, it appeared that Lillard would have his fourth career triple-double. But a 10th rebound that initially was credited to him just before he left the game eventually was given to teammate Brook Lopez.
“When they told me they took it away, I was just like, ‘Man, you all got to give that rebound back for me,’ ” Lillard said. “Because I went up for it, me and Brook both had our hands on it, but I came down with it. I could see if it was like he got to it first and then he tried to give it to me. But I had two hands on the ball. When we landed, I wasn't letting it go. He let go, so I feel like that should be given to me.”
Lillard apparently thrives in these types of situations.
When he was in Portland during the 2020-21 season, the Trail Blazers were playing at Oklahoma City and New Orleans on back-to-back nights, and weather issues in Oklahoma City forced the Trail Blazers to leave for New Orleans the day of the game. Lillard had 43 points and 16 assists as the Blazers beat the Pelicans 126-124.
“To me, it's a mental thing," Lillard said. "Coming into it, it's an opportunity to rise. It's a little bit of adversity that you're starting with. It's an opportunity to overcome that, and I like that. I like that challenge.”
The challenges won't be going away for the Bucks anytime soon. They were scheduled to board a plane Friday at 10 a.m. local time to begin a four-game trip that starts Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“The tough part honestly is nobody packed," Rivers said. "Usually you’ve packed already. Some guys are going to be up tonight packing. It’s going to be a quiet flight, would be my guess.”
Antetokounmpo offered a reminder that people in other walks of life were facing much greater challenges during these storms.
”At the end of the day, we still woke up in a five-star hotel, had breakfast, sat down as a team, talked as a team while we were waiting for the bus," Antetokounmpo said. "We had a pretty nice bus ride. Then we went to our plane - charter plane, private plane. Everybody has their own seat. You can order some food on the plane, get some fruits on the plane. They have drinks, too.
“After that, your car's out, warm, right in front of the plane waiting for you. You get in your car and you get to the arena in like 15 minutes. And after that, you do your routine and get ready for the game. For me, those conditions aren't that bad. I've been in way, way worse conditions in my life.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
