Milwaukee Bucks fall to 3-7 under Doc Rivers after being shocked by the Memphis Grizzlies, 113-110.
The Milwaukee Bucks lost 113-110 on the road against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night, their seventh loss in ten games under new head coach Doc Rivers.
As CNN Sport first revealed, Rivers decided to sign a contract with the Bucks in January, leaving his position as an ESPN analyst to take Adrian Griffin’s place on the sidelines. Given that Milwaukee had a 30-13 record at the time of Griffin’s firing, which tied them for second place in the league, their dismissal was somewhat of a surprise.
The Bucks are now 3-7 under after their most recent loss to the Grizzlies, a team that is well below.500 and has been plagued by injuries the entire season Rivers.
Milwaukee’s performances under Rivers thus far have been summed up by a misunderstanding on the game’s last play, which occurred after the Bucks had reduced a nine-point lead to just three with less than a minute remaining.
In an attempt to set up a screen for All-Star Damian Lillard at halfcourt, Bucks center Brook Lopez inadvertently got in the way of the point guard. Despite a wild last-second long-range attempt by Lillard and a loose ball, Memphis managed to hold on for a narrow victory.
Rivers was not exactly happy with his team’s performance on Thursday, the final night of regular season play before the All-Star break, and believed that some of his players were already planning their vacation
“After the game, we had some guys here and some guys in Cabo,” Rivers said to reporters.
Despite their recent struggles, the Bucks are third in the Eastern Conference and feature two 2024 All-Star starters on their roster in Lillard and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. In contrast, Memphis had ten or more players on their injury list going into the game, including guard Ja Morant, a two-time All-Star, and Jaren Jackson Jr., the current defensive player of the year.
The perceived difference in strength did not stop the undermanned Grizzlies from winning, as rookie GG Jackson II and forward Ziaire Williams both scored 27 points apiece.
After the game, Williams remarked, “It feels good, proud of this team.” It’s encouraging to observe. One man trips and falls, and another gets up. Everything is enjoyable for us, and we couldn’t ask for more.
In the shocking upset, Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 35 points and 12 assists, while Lillard chipped in with 24 points. Rivers was upset with his team for allowing the Grizzlies to take the lead thanks to their lack of experience.
“I felt that the game’s opening set the tone,” he remarked. “When you allow a team missing key players to make layups and threes early in the game, they gain confidence.”
“At some point in their lives, these guys (Grizzlies role players) were celebrities.” Don’t bring that up to them.
Milwaukee’s current season record is 35-21, which puts them 8.5 games behind the Boston Celtics, who are ranked first. The Grizzlies’ season took a dramatic turn after Jared Payne was ruled out for the entire campaign due to injury. Now, they stand at 20-36 and are 13th in the West.
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