Preseason may not exactly bring fans the most exciting brand of basketball seeing as it’s a means for players to get themselves in game shape more than anything. However, many fans tuned in to the Sunday preseason matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, as it was going to be the first time wherein they could witness the burgeoning partnership between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard following the blockbuster offseason trade.
In the end, it was the Bucks that had the upper hand, taking home a 108-97 victory seeing as they put out more of their important players than the Lakers did. And to rub salt on the Lakers’ wounds, Antetokounmpo did a bit of trolling at Christian Wood’s expense. The Bucks star, after rejecting one of Wood’s shots, posted the picture of his highlight block on his official Instagram account and then hilariously tagged the Lakers big man on the post.
This did not go lost at all on Christian Wood. In fact, the newest Lakers big man is looking forward to his next matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, which would come on March 8, 2024.
“I love it I’ll see him during the season just circled the game on my calendar ,” Wood wrote in a comment on Antetokounmpo’s post, via Lakers Daily.
he eventual regular season clash between the Lakers and Bucks, of course, is already must-watch given the sheer star power involved in the proceedings. LeBron James, unlike in Sunday’s preseason matchup, should feature by then, and Anthony Davis, barring injury, should be looking forward to a matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard as well. This Christian Wood subplot merely stokes the fire of what already is a burning furnace between these two sides.
A matchup between Wood and Antetokounmpo is a lopsided one anyway, which even the most ardent Lakers fan would admit. On Sunday, that lopsidedness even showed, as Wood finished with just three points on 1-6 shooting, while Antetokounmpo had a ho-hum 16 points on 7-10 shooting from the field. But who knows, maybe Wood turns up for the Lakers in five months’ time.
