The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a crushing defeat yet again Friday against another subpar team. Doc Rivers wasn’t pointing any fingers this time around.
The Bucks lost 117-111 against a Toronto Raptors squad missing their biggest weapon in All-Star Scottie Barnes. The fact that the loss came inside the friendly confines of Fiserv Forum makes the defeat feel even worse for the Bucks faithful.
Doc Rivers Changes Course On Who’s To Blame For Latest Milwaukee Bucks Loss
Rivers recently went viral after the team’s road loss against the Washington Wizards earlier this week. The Bucks coach called out his team for not operating as seriously when playing on the road. Rivers stated that he was unhappy, not just with the team but also its travel staff.
However, the last two defeats against the injury-ravaged Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies have both come at home.
After Friday’s game, Rivers was asked about the current losing streak his team his on. This time, he blamed himself.
“The last three were against three bad teams. To me, that’s inexcusable, for all of us. As I told them, I said this is on me. I’ve got to figure out what we’ve got to do to play at a higher pace,” said Rivers.
Asked what the “common thread” has been in the losses, Rivers pointed to two key factors.
“Getting stops, turnovers I would say would be the biggest two. The defense has to be better. Our turnovers, we’ve got to take care of the ball,” Rivers answered.
Should The Milwaukee Bucks Be Worried Come Playoff Time?
Despite the losing streak, the Bucks are still sitting pretty with the second seed in the East entering Saturday’s contests. However, the team is mostly still leaning on the success they garnered before Rivers took over as head coach.
Milwaukee was 30-13 when former head coach Adrian Griffin was fired in January. The team wen 2-1 with interim coach Joe Prunty before Rivers took over. Under Rivers, the team has been sub-.500 at just 15-16.
While the playoffs are a different beast entirely, it’s not exactly encouraging to see the team falter while still playing to secure the 2-seed over the Cleveland Cavaliers (1 game behind), Orlando Magic (2 games behind), and New York Knicks (2 games behind).
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