Bucks Zone

Despite losing three of the last four, Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the Milwaukee Bucks are moving in the right direction

"We are going to be very, very fine."

Jonas Panerio

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The Milwaukee Bucks' struggles on this road trip out west continued against the Utah Jazz, as they wasted away a 19-point lead and lost 123-108. Despite the crushing setback on the second night of a back-to-back, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo believes his team is gaining some headway as they try to adjust to new coach Doc Rivers.

Reason to be optimistic

As deflating as the loss was for the Bucks, especially after leading by double-digits in the fourth quarter, Giannis saw reason for hope. After all, the team is playing in only their fourth game under Rivers, who took over the coaching reins from Adrian Griffin. With limited practice time and adjustments made on the fly, it's understandable that the Bucks may not be operating at full efficiency just yet.

"When everything settles down, we are going to be very, very fine, I really do believe," Giannis said.

"I believe we are trending towards the right direction."

One thing the Bucks have got going for them is the slight improvement in their defense. Under Rivers, the Bucks have kept opponents to an average of 118 points per game—nearly two points under their season average of 119.9.

Kept things simple

According to veteran forward Bobby Portis, the team has emphasized keeping things simple, which has worked to some degree. It's all a matter of being consistent and executing on the court.

The Bucks had the Jazz on the ropes but placed their foot off the gas pedal in the fourth, where they made only four of their 17 attempts. The Jazz outscored the Bucks 40-13 in the last canto.

"I think we've tried to simplify things to make it work for the guys that we have on our team, and it's been working," Portis said.

"I think (the things) we've been doing differently has been great, and I think we're trending in the right direction."

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO