Bucks' Doc Rivers Requests Big NBA Cup Change Despite 2024 Title

The Milwaukee head coach is no stranger to speaking his mind.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) hands the trophy to head coach Doc Rivers after winning the Emirates NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks have happily recuperated from what looked to be an Emirates NBA Cup hangover game, a 124-101 massacre against the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Milwaukee followed that game to forget with one to remember the very next night.

Where the Bucks had been without All-Star point guard Damian Lillard on Friday, All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo joined him on the sidelines for Saturday.

So Bobby Portis stepped up.

The perpetual Sixth Man of the Year candidate (he's finished third in voting for the award across each of the past two finished seasons, and also finished ninth in 2020-21, while the Bucks were en route to the title) led the charge for the depleted Bucks, who bested the Washington Wizards 112-101 in Fiserv Forum. The Wizards, meanwhile, were without standout forwards Kyle Kuzma and Saddiq Bey.

Portis, 29, played just 20:59, but still managed to score 34 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the floor and 6-of-9 shooting from long range (he had 23 in the first half alone), 10 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and a block. As that stat line suggests, his shot profile was filthy with jumpers and very light on looks at the charity stripe (i.e. there were zero).

The Bucks saw five scorers in double digits: former All-Star small forward Khris Middleton, earning his first start in his sixth healthy game this year, notched 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field (4-of-6 from long range), eight assists, six rebounds and a steal. Former one-time All-Star center Brook Lopez and two-way point guard Ryan Rollins, in for Lillard, each chipped in 15 points. Bench wing Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor (3-of-10 from 3-point land), seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.

Milwaukee beat the worst team in the league with ease, sure. But it needs healthy bodies when its schedule toughens up. Thankfully, that won't happen this coming week. Milwaukee next drives down I-94 to face the 13-16 Chicago Bulls, smarting after Jayson Tatum dropped a 43-point triple-double on them Saturday night. On Thursday, the Bucks will play the 11-17 Brooklyn Nets.

The fact remains, however, that the Bucks' two best players fell in subsequent games just days removed from their NBA Cup triumph. Was that a coincidence, or was the additional effort they no doubt exerted in that Thunder clash, combined with a brief turnaround time, partially to blame for their injuries Cavaliers loss?

According to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rivers reflected after the Cavaliers blowout that he'd like the league to give the two clubs who made the NBA Cup finals additional recharge days before their next scheduled regular season game.

Doc Rivers said he hopes the league bakes in a couple more off days for the NBA Cup finals teams going forward. He said he was impressed OKC won last night.

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