Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers addressed turnovers and free-throw struggles after a 96-90 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday at Barclays Center.
“Well, [fouling] and the turnovers. I think we had 20 turnovers and a lot of them were just unforced,” Rivers said.
Rivers praised his team’s ball movement despite the mistakes. “I loved how we played overall. We had some great ball movement plays. We got to just value the ball better,” he noted. The coach singled out individual development, particularly AJ Green’s improved decision-making: “He’s driving the ball. He’s got to do a better job and he did today. Only one turnover.”
Jericho Sims’ performance also drew attention, tying his career-high with six assists. “These guys are improving quickly. These are guys that are playing their first year,” Rivers said, highlighting the coaching staff’s role in player growth. He added, “When you look at where Jericho is now, the guy was cut last year. He’s making passes that you never thought he could make.”
Rivers acknowledged Cormac Ryan’s first-year contributions in front of his personal fan section. “He played great. I thought he was a little tight honestly at the beginning of the game. Once he made that one layup, he got free. He brought a whole busload of people to cheer for him. It was fun,” he said.
The coach also reflected on the team’s physicality and defensive execution. “Even that last play we walked over this morning about switching all those. I should have been switching. The kid should have been outside the paint,” Rivers explained, stressing ongoing teaching for young players.
Rivers touched on back-to-back challenges and travel fatigue, noting the grind of the season’s final stretch. “Yeah, like try to get them out of here and this is the worst place because you got to go through New York through all the way to Newark,” he said.
Despite the loss, Rivers emphasized development over results. “I would take it over any team in the league. These guys are improving quickly. All this stuff is development. Fans don’t get to see the hours that our coaches put in with them and that they put in with themselves. So it’s been pretty cool to watch,” he concluded.
Milwaukee now sits at 31-48 after the defeat, while Brooklyn improved to 20-59 with back-to-back wins. The Bucks visit Detroit on Wednesday, and the Nets host Indiana to close their home schedule.
