Stop Giannis Antetokounmpo and you stop the Bucks. That’s how every NBA team thinks and that’s what Washington Wizards thought they did when they pulled off a nail-biter against the Wisconsin team on Monday. One of those who did it? A guard that is Bilal Coulibaly.
Wizards got their third win of the season after stealing one from the Bucks who were favored to win the game for obvious reasons.
Antetokounmpo still managed to score 28 points. However, his game-altering effect on other facets were limited by his opponents. He was able to grab just 7 rebounds (his average is around 11), and dished out four assists.
Wizards were able to clog the passing lanes and none was more important than what Coulibaly did in the last 14 seconds when he forced Giannis to pass to Myles Turner beyond the arc.
Turner then made a crucial mistake of giving it back to his superstar as the French shooting guard was there to steal it.He then rushed for a fastbreak and got Antetokounmpo on a Kodak moment with a Thunderous dunk that gave his team a 129-123 lead with 5.4 seconds to go.
BILAL COULIBALY STEAL AND SLAM OVER GIANNIS TO END IT pic.twitter.com/25zQMVjJLX
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) December 2, 2025
Wizards won the game, 129-126, their third one in 19 tries.
Bilal Coulibaly on their game plan for Giannis
Antetokounmpo is not an easy player to stop. He still managed to score 28 points despite the challenges that Wizards gave him.
However, the problem was that the hosts were able take away some parts of his game, especially his playmaking. How did they do it? By doing whatever they can think of according to the 2023 seventh overall pick.
Bilal Coulibaly on his approach to defending Giannis tonight (Giannis fouled out, Wizards won):
“Basically, this morning (at shootaround) they just told me to do whatever I wanted, just stop him. So, I did whatever I wanted.” pic.twitter.com/OtaCNLBnN0
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) December 2, 2025
Doing anything on the Greek Freak can really pass as defense this season as the refs allow higher level of physicality against him to the point that Bucks fans think there is an agenda against him.
Despite that, he still averages above 30 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. He is still in MVP level although the results are not there for Milwaukee.
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