Doc Rivers Latest Message Won't Inspire Confidence in Turning Bucks Season Around

The Bucks have now lost two straight games.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

For the second straight game, the Milwaukee Bucks had a disappointing defensive effort that led to a loss in Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets. The Bucks gave up 115 points to a Nets team that began the season 0-2 before their game against Milwaukee.

The game before, the Bucks allowed 133 points to the Bulls on Friday. Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. struggled to defend the Bulls' Cody White and Zach LaVine, who combined for 60 points against the Bucks.

“The last two games have been very disappointing,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said after their loss to Brooklyn, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It’s the third game still. You still gotta keep fighting, but these are games you should win.”

The best defensive performance the Bucks have had this season came in their season opener victory versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Milwaukee held Philadelphia to 109 points, though the 76ers were without their top two players in Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Rivers took accountability for the team's lack of success both offensively and defensively over those two losses.

“We have to do something to free guys up better offensively,” Rivers said, via Nehm. “We’re forced into taking a lot of tough shots, the ball’s not moving and we don’t have enough space. Our execution was poor. That’s all on me. I gotta figure it out.

Rivers added: “I think right now this team gets its joy from the offensive end, and when they’re happy and they’re playing well, then the defense comes in. You don’t like that. You’d like that the other way, but that’s who we are right now. And so we have to fix both.”

The Bucks have yet to find success under Rivers since he took over as the team's head coach last January for Adrian Griffin. Though they ended up making the playoffs last season, they have gone just 18-20 and 2-4 in the postseason under the former NBA Coach of the Year.

Rivers and the Bucks will look to right the ship when they take on Rivers' former team on Monday and arguably the best team in the league, the Boston Celtics.

The Bucks are underdogs for this game with a +9.5 spread, and the moneyline set at +350.

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