Bucks head coach Doc Rivers emphasized missed opportunities after Milwaukee fell 103-100 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night at Target Center. “I tell you, we’re a great shooting team and we couldn’t make a shot tonight… 14 for 45 from the three and 40 of them were wide open,” Rivers said.
Rivers pointed to a critical third-quarter stretch where the Timberwolves outscored Milwaukee 23-4. “I think it started in the middle of the second quarter… the ball starts sticking a little bit, we start turning the ball over,” he explained, noting how turnovers disrupted the team’s rhythm.
He also addressed the start of the fourth quarter, when Milwaukee briefly regained offensive momentum. “We got our pace back, we score… but they made a couple shots on our zone. Shannon Jr. made a couple, and you’ve got to give up some,” Rivers said.
Regarding individual performance, Rivers praised Bobby Portis and Myles Turner’s new starting pairing. “I just think they both can score… one of them rolled every time. I thought Myles did a great job of rolling to the post, forcing them to kick it out,” he noted.
Rivers defended Kevin Porter Jr. despite three late turnovers. “He played great until the last end… I’m not concerned with his turnovers,” he said, stressing that the team’s execution was otherwise solid.
A late foul also drew Rivers’ attention. “That was just a bad foul… we knew we couldn’t foul. That killed the clock for us,” he said, reflecting on how it affected the closing seconds against Anthony Edwards’ decisive layup.
Rivers highlighted the ongoing struggle to win on the road. “There’s no key… every game’s a different game. Couple things you can’t do: turn the ball over and you’ve got to rebound. At the end of the day, we’ve got to score more points than the other team. That’s as simple as I can make it,” he explained.
Despite Kevin Porter Jr.’s 24 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and nine assists, Milwaukee could not overcome Minnesota’s comeback. The Timberwolves trailed by 16 before outscoring the Bucks 27-15 in the third quarter, with key contributions from Donte DiVincenzo and Terrence Shannon Jr.
The loss dropped Milwaukee to 11-18, while Minnesota improved to 19-10, with Rudy Gobert recording 18 rebounds to reach 10,000 career rebounds. The Bucks will visit Indiana on Tuesday, while the Timberwolves host New York.
