The Milwaukee Bucks dropped a 108-104 decision to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at Ball Arena, falling to 17-22 at 11th in the Eastern Conference, as head coach Doc Rivers pointed to lineup disruptions that derailed the team’s flow and limited their execution down the stretch.
“It really killed our rotations in the second half because we didn’t know he (Myles Turner) wasn’t coming out and then we drew up the first play and Myles is not even on the floor. That triggered Bobby (Portis) in and that hurt us. It hurt us because Bobby’s not in with that group with Scoot (Kevin Porter Jr.) – the second unit, and I thought that really hurt us,” remarked the Bucks head coach during his postgame availability.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, drawing praise from Doc Rivers for his effort. Despite Giannis’ strong performance, Rivers pointed to the team’s struggles, noting that while Giannis finished the fourth quarter at plus 16 and AJ Green at plus 11, the rest of the lineup struggled, leaving the Bucks in recurring trouble.
Doc Rivers on the Bucks’ loss to the Nuggets
“Giannis plays the whole fourth, he’s great. He’s plus 16 tonight, AJ Green’s a plus 11 everybody else is a minus and we keep saying the same thing. And we just got to figure that out.”
“I was frustrated down the stretch. I don’t do the referee thing but AJ Green wiped him out and got a three of of that. And then, AJ Green clearly got fouled on his three. Like it was the one play that you’re supposed to watch. I mean it was arms, hands, that’s a three-point shot. That’s a tied game,” Doc Rivers added referring to a play in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter where AJ Green was seemingly fouled but it wasn’t called on the floor.
The coach slammed the team’s execution, saying their passing was a major problem. He noted that wide-open teammates were often missed because passes were poorly delivered, costing them opportunities and limiting what could have been a night full of three-point chances.
“They switched everything and we just dribbled… it’s been an issue all year and we have to figure it out.”
The Bucks fell behind by 15 in the first half and 11 at the start of the fourth quarter, then missed two potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 20 seconds, letting the Nuggets hold on for the win.
