The Milwaukee Bucks again succumbed to a loss against a below .500 team after they fell short against the Brooklyn Nets. Doc Rivers is not going to press his players anyway about it.
The Bucks trailed by as much as 20 points against the visiting Nets and they had to make a 20-0 run with 37 seconds remaining to cut the lead to one point.
However, Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to make the lay-up that could have given them the lead or the victory.
Rivers is not too bothered about the loss but it is not like he does not care.
When asked what he will say to his players after the loss, he said:
Tomorrow when we watch film, we’ll have talk. But after the game you say very little. They absolutely know how we preformed tonight. They didn’t need the coach to tell them.
The Bucks appeared many times in the game that they are the better team through a series of runs;
They were down by as much as 19 points in the second and third quarter but in both instances, they were able to cut the lead to a more manageable deficit before the whistle.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for them with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists while Damian Lillard poured in 23 points.
It was the third time the Nets defeated the Bucks this season.
Bobby Portis validates Doc Rivers
Rivers suggested that his players know what they should improve to prevent games like the one against the Nets.
Back-up center Bobby Portis has simple explanation on why the lost.
Bucks F Bobby Portis on the why the Bucks fell short tonight against the Nets 👇
“It’s not about the X’s and O’s… it’s just the effort.” pic.twitter.com/dgZlrVFlNx
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) January 3, 2025
“Against teams like this, it’s not about the X’s and O’s. It’s not about making shots. . . It’s just the effort.”
Effort was indeed suspect for them, especially whenever starting the game in between quarters.
The Bucks allowed the Nets to make a scoring run once the game resumes. First one was in 2nd that let the Nets build a double digit lead. It happened again in the third quarter, and then the fourth, reason why they have to make a 20-0 run in the first place.
The Bucks will have chance to redeem themselves on Saturday when they host the Portland Trailblazers.
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