Bucks Zone

Doc Rivers claims turnover points were a difference maker in Milwaukee’s loss to Miami

Doc was unhappy with the way the Bucks defended the Heat’s transition plays.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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Doc Rivers was left dumbfounded by the glaring difference in turnover points when the Milwaukee Bucks suffered an ugly 97-123 loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

Sloppy transition defense

Rivers lamented that the Heat scored a bunch of transition points while the Bucks could hardly get one as they got outscored by 21 in turnover points.

“It's funny. They turned the ball over 14 times; we had 14 points. We only had four more turnovers, but they had 35 points. So that's the difference in the game,” said Rivers.

Doc was not pleased with the way the Bucks handled the ball in the third quarter after they moved within single digits, then fell into a maze of errors.

“We had like four turnovers in a row. Every time we cut it to nine, either a bad turnover or a three that they hit. They move without the ball, they share the ball, that's how they play. We didn’t handle that very well, so we'll fix that,” said Rivers.

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Bucks’ rally fell short

Milwaukee indeed had the chance to make the game more interesting when they launched a mini run in the third. Miami ended the first half with a 69-52 lead, then Milwaukee moved within 70-79 at the 7:09 mark. That turned out to be the Bucks’ last gasp as the Heat staged a 15-2 run to stretch the lead back to 94-72.

Miami went on to lead by as many as 31 points in the fourth as they snapped Milaukee’s two-game winning streak. The Bucks will try to get back on track when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday before taking an All-Streak break.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.