"That dopamine hit" - Giannis Antetokounmpo credits Doc Rivers for Bucks' 19-pt comeback win against Pacers

Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 19-point deficit on Tuesday to secure a 120-112 road victory over the Indiana Pacers. Afterward, the two-time MVP credited his coach, Doc Rivers, for motivating his squad to fight back after digging itself a daunting hole.

After battling a non-COVID illness, Antetokounmpo returned from a four-game absence against Indiana. He got off to a slow start, mustering four first-half points on 25.0% shooting. However, he got it going after halftime, tallying 26 points on 62.5% shooting in the second half.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee flipped the script after falling behind 83-64 midway through the third quarter. It outscored the Pacers 56-29 the rest of the way to win by eight points, snapping a two-game losing streak against sub-.500 Eastern Conference teams.

Following the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked why his squad didn't fold against Indiana after facing extensive adversity over the past week. The 2021 NBA champion attributed the Bucks' resolve to Rivers' persistent encouragement to chip away at their deficit.

"Doc. He said the same thing he said in Brooklyn, 'Gotta fight through this one. Just gotta fight through this one ... They're going to let us back in the game,'" Antetokounmpo said.

"And when a coach says that, and then you start fighting and you see (the deficit shrink), ... it just gives you that dopamine hit, and you're like, 'OK, fight a little bit more.'"

Milwaukee (17-14) will look to build on Tuesday's win when it hosts the lowly Brooklyn Nets (12-20) on Thursday. It will also seek revenge after falling 111-105 to Brooklyn at home during its aforementioned losing skid.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo makes NBA history in Bucks' 19-point comeback win over Pacers

With Tuesday's 30-point, 12-rebound performance on 55.0% shooting against Indiana, Giannis Antetokounmpo made NBA history. Per Real Sports, he became the first player to begin a season with 25 consecutive games with 20-plus points on 50.0%-plus shooting.

Antetokounmpo's streak appeared in danger in the first half before he bounced back and delivered another MVP-caliber effort. Through 25 outings, he is averaging a career-high and league-leading 32.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, shooting 61.0%.

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