Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reflected on his team’s 131-113 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday.
“I’d rather have the emotions than none. He [Giannis] was frustrated, everybody was frustrated,” Rivers said, referring to Giannis Antetokounmpo throwing the ball in the third quarter.
Rivers pinpointed a third-quarter collapse as the turning point. “We scored 18 points in the third quarter. They had eight threes if I’m not mistaken. I thought that was the difference in the game,” he said.
The coach criticized the Bucks’ offensive stagnation. “I thought we just stopped moving, stopped playing the way we were playing offensively. Not just one person, all of us,” Rivers explained.
Defensive struggles were also highlighted. “We may have to play different guys. We may have to go bigger because right now we’ve given up too many points too easy,” Rivers said, noting multiple scheme changes this season.
Rivers discussed his bench rotation positively. “Five minutes, I mean, they were a plus. One group each night, right? The other night it was the starters. Tonight it’s the second group,” he said.
He reflected on the team’s inability to respond to runs. “It seems lately the team hasn’t really responded to the other run. We got to get stops. Our defense tonight aided by the turnovers, 13 turnovers for 21 points,” Rivers said.
Rivers acknowledged Giannis’ limited minutes. “It’s tough for Giannis because he knows he’s got five minutes with this minute limitation. I felt like he was trying to force the game quickly,” he said.
The coach noted Atlanta’s consistent execution. “They stayed in their system and we got out of ours. We never got our rhythm offensively, but more importantly, they scored every time,” he said.
Rivers broke down specific defensive breakdowns. “The two biggest ones were from the top. Wide open threes. A big had no reason to help. We gave up. They made one, and then it snowballed,” he said.
Milwaukee fell to 26-35, five games behind the Hawks for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, while Atlanta improved to 32-31, winning its fifth straight game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points, Onyeka Okongwu added 21, and Jalen Johnson had 20 points and nine assists for the Hawks.
Rivers concluded on adjustments moving forward. “We may have to go bigger, maybe take more offense off the floor. We’ve got to get stops and respond to runs better,” he said.
The Bucks host the Utah Jazz on Saturday, while Atlanta faces the Philadelphia 76ers.
