Give this round to Antetokounmpo, whose 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists helped send the Spurs to a third straight defeat.

Wembanyama took only 10 shots on his way to 10 points, his second-lowest scoring outing of the season and worst since Oct. 30 against Oklahoma City. He added 10 rebounds and three blocks.

“All around, they were better than us,” Wembanyama said. “They were better basketball players tonight. We have to step up.”

Antetokounmpo had more help than Wembanyama got.

Damian Lillard led Milwaukee with 26 points, while Brook Lopez chipped in 22 points and five 3-pointers.

Chris Paul added 18 points, while Keldon Johnson led the team with an 24-point, 11-rebound double-double off the bench.

The Bucks blew the game open in the second quarter, winning the frame 34-19 to take a 21-point lead into half.

The Spurs closed within eight points in the third quarter but could claw no closer. The Bucks put the game to bed early in the fourth after the Spurs pulled to within 91-81.

Milwaukee responded with a Lillard layup, a pair of Lillard free throws and a Gary Trent Jr. 3-pointer to push the Bucks’ lead to 17.

“Tonight we got our butt kicked,” Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “We haven’t got our butt kicked a lot this year.”

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s defeat, which dropped the Spurs to 18-19:

1. The Spurs’ offense stunk

Give Milwaukee credit. The Bucks defended the Spurs with a physicality they could not match.

They kept Wembanyama from his spots, which is why he could barely get shots off.

In a way, the game turned during a 4:14 stretch of the second quarter in which the Spurs went scoreless.

The Spurs went 0-for-9 over that span, while the Bucks rattled off a 15-0 run to take control of the game.

Turnovers were not an issue. The Spurs simply could not generate enough good looks to stay in the game.

“I thought their physicality got to us even early,” Johnson said. “I think we made a few shots just to kind of hang around in that first quarter, but our offense was slow. We were getting catches in the spots we want to get catches. Our timing was off and their physicality dictated a lot of that or our lack of whatever.”

Wednesday was a testament to the Bucks’ defense, which wrecked whatever the Spurs tried to do.

“I think they’re a more accomplished team now,” Wembanyama said. “I mean they look better. They’ve been looking fantastic since after the beginning of season, and we got better, too. And I think they took us seriously for sure, and they went all out.”

2. A Stanford reunion for Spurs’ coach

Wednesday marked a special night for Johnson, his first to serve as acting coach against former college teammate Brook Lopez.

Lopez and Johnson played together at Stanford for two seasons between 2006 and 2008.

Two years Johnson’s junior at 36, Lopez is the only member of those Stanford teams to remain in the NBA, after Landry Fields and Lopez’ twin brother, Robin, have retired.

“It’s just something cool to see when you see his longevity and then you think back to 20 years ago almost now, when we were just young punks playing basketball together,” Johnson said.

Drafted 10^th overall by the New Jersey Nets in 2008, Lopez evolved to last 17 seasons in the NBA.

Once a predominantly low-block scorer not exactly renowned for his defense, Lopez morphed into a stretch-5 3-point shooter and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

He has become an indispensable piece for Milwaukee, where he has played the past seven seasons. He was key to the Bucks win on Wednesday.

“I’m not surprised at all when you see how he’s settled into this new role and become such a big part of this team,” Johnson said. “When you look around the league and who he came in with his draft class and his age group, those guys are not around and he’s still rolling along.”

3. Spurs need Vassell to return to form

It was another rough shooting night for Devin Vassell, who finished 4 of 19 from the field on his way to 11 points.

The Spurs count on Vassell to be a No. 2 scoring option when Wembanyama is on the floor with him, and to carry the offense for some of the minutes the big man is on the bench.

Vassell has struggled with his shooting touch for the past few weeks, making more than half his shots in only once in the past nine games.

He has started January in a 24-for-67 funk.

“Devin is a heck of a shooter and a scorer,” Johnson said. “I think it’s one of those deals where the worm will turn. You’re just waiting for it.”