Doc Rivers Credits Bulls For Taking Advantage of Bucks Poor Defensive Effort

Ricardo Klein | Oct 26, 2024

Oct 23, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks lost their first game of the season on Friday night to the Chicago Bulls, 133-122. 

The Bucks simply couldn't keep up with the Bulls on both sides of the floor, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Bucks let the Bulls do what they wanted. Although it was quite a showing for the Bulls, it was the opposite of the Bucks. 

No one was more disappointed with Milwaukee's effort on defense than their head coach, Doc Rivers. Rivers told the media after the loss that he credits the Bulls for taking advantage of the Bucks' poor defensive effort. 

"That was a disappointing game for us tonight. But give them credit," said Rivers. "They shot the heck out of the ball. They played hard. They pushed the ball and the pace. I thought they had more endurance than us. You could see that through the game. So give them a lot of credit.”

“It’s funny,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers began, “We scored 122 and shot almost 50% and we didn’t play offensively the way we should play. I thought a lot of that leaked to the other end. That wasn’t the same ball movement team you saw the other night (in Philadelphia). I think it leaks both ways.

"That was a disappointing game for us tonight. But give them credit. They shot the heck out of the ball. They played hard. They pushed the ball and the pace. I thought they had more endurance than us. You could see that through the game. So give them a lot of credit.”

It has been a while since the Bucks have been an elite defense, and that continued to be the case on Friday. The Bucks allowed the Bulls to shoot 47.9 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three. Chicago scored 70 points in the second half, outscoring the Bucks by 12 points. 

The Bucks are a far cry from their 102.9 defensive rating in the 2019-20 season or even their 111.4 defensive rating in their title season. Last year, the Bucks had a 115.0 defensive rating, ranking them at 20th. 

So far this season, it's not a big sample size, but the Bucks have a 115.8 defensive rating through two games, which ranks them at 19th. 

The Bucks' defense is not where it needs to be, and if things don't come together on that side of the ball, it will spell trouble for their title hopes. 

More Bucks: Milwaukee Considering Trade to Open Roster Space for 2021 Champ