Bucks News: Giannis Antetokounmpo Credits Doc Rivers for Wild Comeback vs Pacers

Milwaukee rallied from a 19-point third quarter deficit.

Oct 25, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers takes Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) out of the game in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

After falling down 19 points with five minutes remaining in the third quarter of Tuesday night's midday New Year's Eve matchup against the Indiana Pacers, it appeared that the Milwaukee Bucks had thoroughly run out of gas. Eight-time All-NBA Bucks power forward, playing his first game back with Milwaukee since December 20, had been limited to just four points in the contest's first half, and generally looked out-of-sorts.

But the Pacers poked a bear. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks on a ferocious late-game rally. Milwaukee outscored Indiana by a whopping 56-29 the rest of the way. Antetokounmpo personally contributed 19 of the Bucks' points in that run.

The 6-foot-11 big man finished the contest with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals per bout.

Milwaukee made a concerted effort to force the Pacers to take jumpers late, while stifling them on the other end.

So how did the Bucks dig deep and summon up the energy to make such an epic comeback?

According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo spoke glowingly postgame about being motivated by the galvanizing counsel of head coach Doc Rivers.

"Doc," Antetokounmpo said, when asked to pinpoint why the club didn't give up while down big in the bout's third frame. "He said the same thing he said in Brooklyn. Gotta fight through this one."

The Nets themselves rallied from a 13-point second dhalf eficit to ultimately best the Bucks, 111-105, on Thursday.

"They're going to let us back in the game," Antetokounmpo said of the team's mentality, as dictated by Rivers' direction. "And like when a coach says that and then you start fighting and you see it goes from 19 to 15. And then it goes to 11. And then it goes to 7. And then it goes... it just keeps giving you that dopamine hit. And you're like, 'OK, fight a little bit more. Fight a little bit more.' And all of a sudden, you look up and it's a tie game. And now when you're there, you're like, 'We should just win the game. We're already here. We should just play a little bit more hard."

Milwaukee improved to a 17-14 record with the win, while dropping the Pacers to 16-18 on the year. The Bucks will have an opportunity to build on their success on Thursday, with a rematch against the Nets. But this time, they'll have a healthy Antetokounmpo on their side.

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