The Bucks, who were enjoying their two-game win streak, something they’ve only done three times this season, fell short 113-114 to the 8-24 Washington Wizards after CJ McCollum made a game-winning fadeaway to put Washington up with just a second left.

“This is on us, winning two games in a row, our focus wasn’t there,” Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and snagged 15 rebounds in just 28 minutes to lead the game, but the loss only dropped them further down the standings. Antetokounmpo is still playing with a minutes restriction as he attempts to fully recover from the calf strain that kept him out for almost a month.

Milwaukee’s offense stalled late after Antetokounmpo came off the floor with just five minutes remaining. The Bucks came up empty on their next five possessions before he returned with 2:39 left, but the damage had already been done.

“They have professional scorers. If they go 0-6 or 0-9, it doesn’t really matter,” Antetokounmpo said.

With the lack of scoring on the floor for the Bucks, the Wizards kept it tight until the final possession. Former Buck, Khris Middleton, posted 0 points as a starter, but McCollum’s 18 points, including the game-winner, only prove Antetokounmpo’s point. There are elite scorers on every team in the league.

The Bucks did not put their best effort in, but still came one shot away from bringing home the win. 

“Sometimes you don’t deserve to win the game and you still win the game. This wasn’t that night,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve been part of ugly wins. I don’t care if it’s ugly, pretty, nasty, dirty, clean, whatever. I still love when I win.” 

The Bucks have now won two of their last three games with Antetokounmpo back, but have not yet established themselves as a playoff-worthy team.

With a difficult stretch of games ahead, Antetokounmpo emphasized the urgency with every result moving forward. The Bucks still are in 11th place and are banking on Antetokounmpo’s return to revitalize their season.

“We have a very tough schedule coming up and every win, every game counts right now,” Antetokounmpo said. “This can make us or break us.”

Despite the disappointment, Antetokounmpo leaned on his experience to keep perspective.

“I’ve played over 800 games in the NBA. If you put overseas, I’ve played over a thousand games,” Antetokounmpo said. “I can deal with a bad loss.”

“If it was a one-on-one game, if it was tennis, I lose, I go take a shower, I go talk with my coach about what I did wrong and what I did well, then come back and try to do it again,” he added.

Antetokounmpo is playing the best basketball of his career but still needs a better effort from the rest of the roster to get the salvage their season.