Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers admitted his team “deserve[d] to lose” after Wednesday’s 114-113 defeat to the Washington Wizards at Fiserv Forum. “We didn’t play hard enough. We didn’t play well enough together,” he said.
Rivers criticized the Bucks’ execution despite having opportunities to close the game. “We had every shot we wanted at the end of the game. Our execution was flawless, even the last play. But the basketball guys sometimes don’t allow you to win when you don’t play right,” he explained.
He singled out the lack of ball movement and defensive lapses. “We didn’t pass the ball to each other. We didn’t guard the ball. And so when you play like that, you lose the game,” Rivers said.
The coach also noted the role of isolation plays and turnovers in the loss. “Pretty early on you could see it was a lot of ISO ball from your team… emotional immaturity. That’s what we played with tonight,” he added.
Rivers addressed Giannis Antetokounmpo’s limited minutes and the team’s adjustments. “His number was 28, so it was tough to take him out at that stretch… that hurts us, but that’s what we had to do,” he said.
The final possessions drew scrutiny despite strong individual effort. “With AJ downhill, had Giannis on the glass… worked out. Giannis rebound the ball, probably should have held it… but that’s such a quick decision play, so he lives with it,” Rivers said regarding the last play.
He also reflected on defensive struggles, especially in the fourth quarter. “In the fourth quarter, we just didn’t guard the ball… scrambled defense, tough shot obviously,” Rivers said.
Despite the loss, Rivers emphasized moving forward. “I’ve never been one that looks backwards. You got to look forward, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
The Bucks committed 15 turnovers and missed opportunities in the fourth quarter, allowing Washington to capitalize with a 13-3 run led by Bub Carrington’s three consecutive three-pointers. Giannis finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds, but Milwaukee fell short.
Washington’s balanced scoring included CJ McCollum’s game-winning jumper with one second left, Alex Sarr’s 20 points, and Carrington’s six three-pointers. The Wizards shot 49 percent from three and committed just 10 turnovers, highlighting the contrast in execution between the teams.
Rivers concluded, “That’s a game that if we had played right, we would have won. We just didn’t do that tonight, and that’s disappointing. But you go to the next game.”
