Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers highlighted his team’s late-game defensive surge, saying, “I think it’s a 16-2 run to close that game. We got stops. They hurt us in the first half in transition, even in the third quarter, they scored three or four times after makes. After scoring, we got back and clogged the paint up. I think Ryan and Scoot combined for about 12 straight there. Just their kind of control over the game.”
Rivers credited strategic matchups and rotations for maintaining momentum, noting, “We went matchup hunting a lot tonight down the stretch. Having those two timeouts at the four to three minute mark was huge. We put Bobby in, then AJ Green, kept adding spacing and shooting to the floor. That helped us as well.”
On the performance of guards collecting defensive rebounds, Rivers added, “Ryan and Scoot combined for like five of your final defensive rebounds. The bigs are hurting us, so guards go get the ball, and I thought our guards did that.”
Rivers also addressed integrating new players, saying, “It really depends on the player. Sometimes it even depends on the system. Our guys have been very welcoming for Cam and for [Ousmane Dieng], so it’s been a pretty easy fit.”
The coach praised Kevin Porter Jr., who scored a season-high 32 points, adding, “Just terrific. More in the second half. First half he got beat a couple times off the dribble. In the second half, he got aggressive, pushed the ball, made plays, made threes. He’s 22 and going to get better every night.”
On the team’s overall response, Rivers said, “This is a great question because it’s a big response for us. There were stretches where we could have given in, and we didn’t. I told him after the game, that’s a gut kind of win for us. It was a good win.”
Rivers also reflected on Porter’s ability to orchestrate the offense: “32 points, seven assists, just one turnover. He knows when to attack now, knows when to go downhill and make plays. Putting all the shooting on the floor the last three minutes opened the paint for us and allowed Ryan and Scoot to get downhill.”
The Bucks overcame Miami’s fourth-quarter surge, including Kel’el Ware’s 3-pointer that gave the Heat a nine-point lead, to secure a 128-117 victory at Fiserv Forum. Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins each added 21 points, while Kyle Kuzma contributed 19 and Ousmane Dieng 11.
Miami’s Norman Powell led all scorers with 26 points, and Bam Adebayo finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Davion Mitchell returned from illness to post eight points and eight assists, but the Heat could not sustain their three-game winning streak.
Milwaukee improves to 24-30, with a record of 10-16 without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed his 12th straight game with a strained calf. The Bucks host Cleveland on Wednesday, while Miami travels to Philadelphia on Thursday.
