Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers spoke candidly after the Bucks’ 127-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday at Fiserv Forum, which officially eliminated the team from playoff contention.
“I knew it anyway. It’s been disappointing obviously…we just haven’t had the ability this year, having only one like quote unquote star and every other team has two,” Rivers said.
Rivers emphasized his focus on teaching during the remainder of the season. “Like there’s a lot of things that you can watch on tape…one of our game plans that we finally kind of did in the third quarter game specific, not teaching individually, was to keep Wemby’s guy out of space in the corner, us to get to the paint and find them,” he explained.
He praised the team’s young players for their effort despite limited stars. “I guess just for Gary as of late, he’s kind of found a nice groove…we forget how young Gary is, even though he’s played 100 years in the league. It feels like he’s still very young. Still learning,” Rivers said of Gary Harris.
Rivers also highlighted defensive adjustments needed against star opponents. “Playing against Victor, it changes your whole game plan. He’s the only guy that I would say defensively, you have to alter the way you play…He’s so long. He’s so active. But he plays the right way, man. The kid is special for our league,” he noted.
Reflecting on other players, Rivers praised leadership and perseverance. “Bobby’s Bobby, you know, he’s been a pro throughout this year…I’m just so proud of him as a leader. He tries to do the right stuff. He tries to say the right things in the locker room,” Rivers said of Bobby Portis.
He also acknowledged positive developments on the roster. “I always try to look at silver linings and Ryan is one of them. Pete Nance is another one. Kuz is one of them. And we got to rehabilitate or get AJ Green going again. You know, he’s a good player. He’s played too many minutes,” Rivers said.
The Bucks were overwhelmed by a Spurs team led by Stephon Castle, who recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. Victor Wembanyama added 23 points and 15 rebounds. San Antonio shot 55.1% and scored 127 points, with Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell contributing 16 each. Milwaukee, missing Giannis Antetokounmpo and other key players, fell behind early and never recovered.
Rivers emphasized the educational value of the game despite the loss. “Those are the teaching points. Like we got to keep, we got to stick with it…we played zone and it was really good overall, but then we start making little mistakes that we can teach. We’ll show that on Monday and get better,” he said.
Milwaukee’s loss ends a nine-year playoff streak, leaving the team to regroup and focus on development.
