Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers criticized his team’s defensive performance after a 139-122 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“Defensively was awful. Awful,” Rivers said, acknowledging the impact of turnovers and offensive rebounds on the loss.
He emphasized missed opportunities on offense, noting, “We missed eight layups tonight where we could have had a ton more points, missed free throws tonight.” Rivers added that offensive rebounds and turnovers accounted for a significant portion of Philadelphia’s scoring.
Despite being without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rivers said size wasn’t an excuse. “We started with size. There’s no excuse for the offensive rebounds. Now I have to go watch the film and see why,” he said.
Rivers highlighted individual performances, praising Myles Turner’s 31-point effort. “I thought Myles was great on both ends. I thought Kuz was fantastic, Rhino played great, good to see Gary Trent play with force again,” Rivers said.
He also noted improved ball movement in the absence of a true point guard. “Just movement. That’s all we worked on. We don’t have the point guard play of other teams, so everybody has to be the point guard. I thought today the first time in a long time you saw that,” Rivers said, referencing eight assists each from Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis.
Despite shooting 51 percent from the field and 45 percent from three, Rivers noted the scoreline reflected defensive breakdowns. “You shoot 51% from the field and 45 from the three-point line and you lose the game. That’s not acceptable,” he said.
Philadelphia’s victory was powered by Paul George’s 32 points, Joel Embiid’s 29 points and nine rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey’s 22 points. George hit back-to-back threes early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead, while Embiid and Maxey connected for an alley-oop late in the first half.
Rivers concluded by stressing areas for improvement. “Offensively there’s a lot to build on, but we got to rebound the ball,” he said, noting Milwaukee has struggled in that area for several games.
The Bucks will face the Washington Wizards on Thursday, while Philadelphia hosts the Sacramento Kings. Rivers’ comments underline the need for defensive adjustments and better rebounding to stop ongoing losing streaks.
