Bucks' Doc Rivers Admits Critical Mistake with Damian Lillard Late vs Bulls

Ricardo Klein | Dec 29, 2024

Mar 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers talks to guard Damian Lillard (0) during the third quarter of the NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered their second consecutive loss on Saturday, losing a tough one to the Chicago Bulls, 116-111.

The Bucks dropped a crucial one and now sit at 16-14 on the season. Milwaukee should have won this game, as they had plenty of opportunities to do so. One of the reasons they were unable to come out on top was that their star guard, Damian Lillard, took his final shot of the night with 5:07 remaining in the final minutes of the game.

Head coach Doc Rivers was the first to admit that it was a mistake not to force-feed Lillard, especially after he got things going as the game progressed.

Rivers said he needs to make sure to get the ball to Dame.

“That’s gotta be better. One thing I would say is I gotta be better making sure Dame gets the ball in his hands down the stretch of the game. We drew two plays up to get him on the secondary (action) because they were loading up and never got it. Like we have to have an understanding to get it to him and I just gotta get it to live with it.” 

Damian Lillard took his final shot of the night with 5:07 remaining tonight in Chicago.

Before I could ask a question, Bucks coach Doc Rivers started his answer: pic.twitter.com/p3nxKET0d5

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 29, 2024

It took a while for the 34-year-old Lillard to heat up. He pulled Milwaukee back into the game and played 35:28. It was his first game back since Dec. 17, when the Bucks took home the NBA Cup title.

Lillard returned to the lineup, and he was fantastic. He recorded 29 points on 8-for-19 shooting from the field, 12 assists, two steals, and six rebounds.

While Rivers admits that going away from Lillard was a mistake toward the end of the game, that was not the end all, be all of losing the game. The Bucks shot poorly from the field, shooting 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. They also only committed eight turnovers to the Bulls' 11, but they were outrebounded 52-43.

The Bucks had enough on their side to win the game, but without their superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, they needed to win within the margins, and they failed to do so.

With or without Antetokounmpo on the court, it is clear that Lillard needs to carry the load, especially in close games. We should see a major difference in the Bucks' and Lillard's usage in their next game against the Pacers on Dec. 31.

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