On Sunday evening, the Brooklyn Nets suffered one of their worst losses of the NBA season, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. After the game, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers didn’t hold back when speaking about the brutal defeat.
Doc Rivers Doesn’t Hold Back After Terrible Loss
The Bucks have struggled to find consistency this season. They entered the campaign with one of the best players in the world, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and have the benefit of playing in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Despite the shaky roster around Antetokounmpo, it appeared as though the Bucks would at least be competitive in the East. Not so fast.
Antetokounmpo has played in 17 games this season, and the Bucks are barely staying alive in those games, notching a 9-8 record. Without Antetokounmpo, they’re 2-8 and have seemingly hit rock bottom after Sunday evening’s game in Brooklyn.
Led by a less-than-inspiring starting five of Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton, Terance Mann, and rookie Egor Demin, Brooklyn jumped out to a 37-25 lead in the first quarter and never looked back; final score: Nets 127, Bucks 82.
“I thought that was awful,” said Rivers after the game. “Awful all around. On me because I clearly didn’t get them ready. And on us. Give Brooklyn credit because I thought they played hard as heck. They moved the ball. They played right. We didn’t.”
Now, Bucks fans online are calling for Rivers’ job. One fan pointed to former coach Adrian Griffin’s record before being fired, saying, “Just a reminder, the Bucks were 30-13 when they fired Griffin.”
Another fan compared the bad losses between Rivers and Griffin: “Seems to happen a lot under Doc. Doc has had more losses worse than what got Griffin fired for.”
What’s Next for Doc Rivers and the Bucks?
The good news is that, due to the NBA Cup schedule, the Bucks are fortunate to have a full three days off before their next game on Thursday, December 18, when they face the Toronto Raptors at home in Milwaukee.
The bad news: the Raptors have performed well above expectations this season and appear to be a serious threat to make a noise in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Plus, Antetokounmpo is still a ways away from returning from his calf injury.
Per Steve Megargee of the Associated Press, Rivers said on December 5 that he expects Antetokounmpo to be sidelined for roughly four weeks. That means the Bucks will probably have to get by without Antetokounmpo’s impact for about three more weeks. If they can’t find a way to stack some wins in his absence, the trade rumors will only get louder.