The Bucks may be the East’s 4th seed, but they’re playing like they want the throne. On Saturday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his squad stormed into the American Airlines Center with one mission—send the Mavericks packing with their 29th loss. Yes, mission accomplished. A dominant 132-117 win proved their firepower. But forget the scoreboard for a second. The real buzz? Giannis and Damian Lillard’s so-called “chemistry issues.” Rumors swirled, whispers grew louder—but Giannis had something to say. And he didn’t hold back.

It’s both funny and baffling how this narrative just won’t go away. After all, Giannis Antetokounmpo was the one pushing the Bucks to bring in Damian Lillard. But here’s the catch—if you rewind to the first 20 games of the season, their chemistry looked… well, bit shaky. Maybe that’s where the rumors started. Or maybe, when two dominant forces share the court, whispers of a power struggle always follow.

Giannis Antetokounmpo clears stance on his relationship with Damian Lillard

Being a favorite for double teams isn’t easy. But for Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s a simple strategic game. More like playing mind games with his ops. He loves drawing two defenders, knowing Dame Lillard is ready to capitalize when he sets the screen. “It’s either you’re going to get frustrated and try to keep on fighting the double team or you’re just going to try to bait them as much as you can,” the 30-year-old Greek Freak told reporters in the Bucks locker room after Saturday’s game.

However, he couldn’t stop himself from lashing out at people who have set up the stories around his odd relationship with the 34-year-old guard. “I feel like the people have created this narrative. Like me and Dame we not working together,” Antetokounmpo said sounding seemingly frustrated with all the rumors. “But nobody’s doing it better than me and him right now. At the end of the day, we were able to play some competitive games early in the season. We were able to win the NBA Cup since then.”

Speaking of the NBA Cup, the Milwaukee Bucks emerged from the shadows of their losses before the actual showdown against the OKC Thunder on December 17, 2024. There were conversations about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo should back out of the franchise or not. There were talks on whether Dame Lillard was a good choice for the Bucks or not. But on D-day, both Dame and Giannis silenced all the noises. Chipping 23 and 26 points respectively, Milwaukee clinched an easy first NBA Cup win.

Coming back to the present, how was it with Khris Middleton? Giannis further told the media that his relationship with Lillard seems better than what he had with Khris Middleton for the last 12 years. “Me and Khris were together for 12 years you know. That’s why we were able to connect with our eyes closed basically,” the 30YO noted. “With Dame, the connection that I have with Dame, year two and the year is not even over yet. It’s better than the connection I had with Khris.”

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks HC, Doc Rivers’ involvement in the Giannis-Damian case, also came to light. It’s safe to say, the veteran coach has his intentions clear. He wants no fuss, no unnecessary drama, and no bad games from his superstars. Well, it’s not like they are giving him all the above, but you know, with all the talks going around, the path could be tricky.

Doc Rivers’ motives for Antetokounmpo and Lillard exposed

For the 63-year-old Bucks head coach, Doc Rivers, the math is simple: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have to play together. “We have to play with one another. And he’s [Rivers] been like, kind of pressurizing us and forcing us to play with one another. At the end of the day, we have to understand we are threats,” Antetokounmpo informed the media. Well, the ‘threat’ is real. When the Greek forward and the 34-YO guard are on the court together, the Bucks’ chance of winning the game is escalated. Therefore, the HC doesn’t want them to go their separate ways or lose their chemistry on the court.

“You know people are worrying about Dame coming off the hand and shooting the three. People are worrying about me going downhill,” Giannis further added. “People are worrying about me when I set a screen and roll hard to the rim and Dame can come off and throw it up to me or if the low man pre-rotates he can throw it to the corner three. We can make so many actions of the two main games and right now I feel like we’re embracing it.” Simply put, the Bucks stars have set their roles and know how to switch between them in an ongoing game. Thus making them a true threat on the court. And this is exactly what Doc Rivers doesn’t want to lose.

Thus, Giannis and Dame aren’t just coexisting—they’re thriving. Despite the noise, their bond is growing, and the results speak loud and clear. With Doc Rivers pushing unity and both stars embracing their roles, the Bucks can put any opponent in danger. So, let the rumors swirl—on the court, this duo is busy chasing greatness.