Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers addressed the team’s 130-91 defeat to the Orlando Magic, citing missing key players and offensive execution as major factors.
Rivers pinpointed the third quarter as decisive. “It was the third quarter that changed the game… turnovers, bad shots… a 15-point third quarter as well,” he said.
Physicality and urgency were also concerns for Milwaukee. “I didn’t think we met their physicality tonight… they came in with that attitude… they were a wounded team and played with urgency. And they were right,” Rivers said, recognizing Orlando’s disciplined approach despite missing some stars.
Rivers also noted the heavy burden on ball handlers. “With that many other ball handlers out, it’s going to be a lot on Ryan… we just didn’t have a lot to start… they were up pressuring us,” he said.
The coach praised the contributions of Cam Thomas and Bobby Portis. “We played through him and Cam from that’s why we had 40 points… it was really the Cam and Bobby show… really proud of Cam because they were going to trap him… Bobby is now second in double-doubles in NBA history,” Rivers said.
Rivers acknowledged Paolo Banchero’s dominant performance. “The way Banchero was shooting as bad as we played offensively… it was still a tough challenge,” he said, reflecting on the Magic star’s 33 points that propelled Orlando to a fourth consecutive win.
Milwaukee’s injuries continued to impact their playoff positioning. Giannis Antetokounmpo rested for the second game of a back-to-back, missing 30 games this season, while Kevin Porter Jr. was sidelined for a third straight contest. Rivers noted, “It was too much on Rhino… we didn’t run our stuff well.”
Despite the loss, Rivers’ focus remained on learning from the effort. “The first quarter was bad, but we only gave up 25 points… second quarter we moved the ball… the third quarter we let go of the rope,” he said.
