Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged the team’s shooting woes after a 107-79 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
“Couldn’t make shots… it’s just hard to create shots for us,” Rivers said, highlighting the team’s offensive struggles despite Ryan Rollins’ 25 points.
Rivers credited individual efforts but noted the team’s scoring stopped when key players left the floor. “Whenever we took him off… Bobby off the floor, the scoring came to a halt,” he explained.
He emphasized missed opportunities on close-range shots and three-pointers. “Early on we got a lot of rolls… we missed point-blank layups. When we sprayed it out, we didn’t make threes… when you start missing shots, it becomes a snowball.”
Offensive rebounds were a decisive factor in the loss. “By the fourth, that difference was literally the margin of the game. They had 28 points off second chances and turnovers,” Rivers said.
Rivers noted that the team has worked on pursuit of the ball and contact rebounding, but execution remains a problem. “Half the ones we crashed, we didn’t come up with them… we have to take care of the glass, and we have to get more.”
The coach also reflected on the team’s rhythm over the season. “We have not had a rhythm the whole year… win two games, win one… we just got to get better. We have to keep working at it.”
Rivers discussed bench contributions, singling out Pete Nance. “I didn’t think he had a great night tonight, but he still did great things. We got to trust the pass instead of trying to make shots ourselves.”
The loss leaves Milwaukee at 18-29, while Boston improved to 31-18 behind Jaylen Brown’s 30 points and 13 rebounds and Anfernee Simons’ 27 off the bench.
Rivers concluded by noting the team’s effort despite struggles. “We were really good defensively… it’s just offensive execution that hurt us tonight,” he said, emphasizing that improvements in rebounding and shot-making are essential moving forward.
