Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers spoke candidly after Sunday’s 118-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, pointing to offensive stagnation and defensive lapses as key factors in the team’s first defeat of the season.
“Maybe this same question you have before the game,” Rivers began when asked about the team’s scoring. “Kind of wondered where offense might come from… I thought we struggled at times trying to create offense like we thought. Didn’t get to the paint as much as we wanted to.”
Rivers credited Cleveland’s guards for dictating the tone early, saying, “I thought their guards were more physical than our guards in the first half, and then I thought we became more physical in the second half.”
The Bucks trailed by as many as 18 before rallying behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 40 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Despite the comeback, Milwaukee’s late-game execution fell short.
Rivers highlighted the team’s defensive zone as a positive adjustment. “Zone was phenomenal. First time we’ve used it this year… I thought that got us back in the game,” he said. “We work on it every day, but first time we’ve used it at a long clip.”
Even with strong shooting numbers — 50 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from three — Rivers noted that missed open looks and fouls proved costly. “We shoot the ball so well visually, I’m thinking we’re shooting like 20 percent. We still shoot almost 40 percent from the three-point line, shoot 50 percent for the game. But I just thought we missed shots we make. And then the fouls I thought were the difference in the game.”
Asked about Antetokounmpo’s physical play, Rivers said, “It’s amazing. You know, we knew this was going to be a hard game for him, physical game for him… yet he still was willing to go in the paint, get fouled. That’s who he is.”
Rivers also expressed concern about how defenders wrap up Antetokounmpo on drives. “You should write that… because it is a dangerous play,” he told reporters. “They wrap you up, you’re pulling up, and now you tear a shoulder and there’s no flagrant to that.”
The coach acknowledged several costly offensive fouls and turnovers in key moments. “Every time we got close, one of those things happened,” Rivers said. “Nothing you can do about it. The guys play right overall. So, you just live with it.”
Despite the loss, Rivers praised his team’s resilience. “I love that we hung in there. There’s a lot of times in the game where a lesser team would have let go of the rope. It’s just not who we were,” he said. “Cut it, tied the score, took the lead, had a chance to win the game. So that part of it I have pride. The frustration is that we didn’t take it all the way through.”
Milwaukee returns home Tuesday to face the New York Knicks, seeking to rebound from its first setback of the young season.
