Doc Rivers reflected on the Milwaukee Bucks’ 120-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, emphasizing the impact of small margins. “It was a margin game for sure, but they won the margin of playing their system longer than we stayed with our system,” he said.
The coach highlighted De’Anthony Melton’s bench performance. “Big night for Melton… he’s made some tough shots. I can live with those,” Rivers noted, praising the guard’s ability to hit key baskets.
Rivers stressed the team’s struggles with composure and execution. “Sometimes the first guy was trying to make the play instead of getting to the next action… that was a little disappointing,” he explained, citing moments where the Bucks failed to stick to their game plan.
He also discussed the impact of three-point opportunities. “We thought we could generate a ton of threes tonight… every time we went downhill we did, and then we stopped trusting,” Rivers said, pointing to a lack of consistency in capitalizing on open looks.
The coach analyzed key second-quarter moments. “Second quarter… I think it’s a three-point game when Giannis picks up his third… that’s the other margin we lost,” he said, noting how specific stretches shifted the game in Golden State’s favor.
Rivers acknowledged the challenge of facing veteran teams like the Warriors. “Veteran teams like this get away with things… a flagrant foul is ridiculous… Draymond Green is such an instigator,” he explained, referencing a first-half technical foul on Scoot Henderson that frustrated the Bucks.
Despite the loss, Rivers remained focused on process over streaks. “I don’t care honestly if we didn’t win three in a row… it’s disappointing when we win tonight, you know,” he said, emphasizing the importance of improving execution in each game rather than chasing consecutive wins.
Rivers underscored the team’s need to manage minutes and maintain balance. “We have to play those minutes at least even… you can’t be minus-13s in those minutes… we have to keep searching,” he added, signaling areas for adjustment as the Bucks try to climb back in the Eastern Conference standings.
With Milwaukee now 16-21 and facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Rivers stressed the importance of refining execution. “We had a chance to show we’re a good team tonight… we did in spurts, but at the end of the day, we didn’t get it done,” he said, highlighting lessons from the matchup against one of the league’s most efficient systems.
