Doc Rivers explains how Milwaukee caused the Celtics’ cold shooting night
It was a tough night for the Boston Celtics in the fight against Milwaukee Bucks. All together, Bucks were decent off the field, shooting 58.2%, leading to a 116-101 victory.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were stymied, shooting 38.6% from the field. After that, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers explained how it happenedper Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“There were a few misses, but most of the time it was contested threes and that’s what we were going for,” Rivers said. “They take more break threes than any other team; they don’t really take a lot of corner threes, which is unusual. And a lot of that is because they ISO, and you help, and they spray it, and we’ve been drilling it for two days, like we’re going to be in, but as that ball (comes out), you’ve got to get to the pass. That’s all we talked about about the pass, and I thought about getting them to me.
In the end, Kyle Kuzma led the way with 31 points and six rebounds. Then Bobby Portis had a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Porter Jr. had a triple-double of 18 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. had 13 points of his own, while Ryan Rollins had 10 points and seven assists.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play due to calf strain.
With the win, the Bucks are now 11-15. On Sunday, they went up against the Brooklyn Nets.
Even with the win, the Bucks still need to work on their defense
Despite stopping the veteran-laden Celtics in their tracks, the Bucks still have some hurdles to work out on defense. They currently rank 20th in the league with a defensive rating of 117.9.
The absence of Giannis certainly hampers their ability, given his size and strength. Plus, Milwaukee is ranked 18th in rebounding defense.
Rivers wants to take a physical approach to the defense.
2025-12-12 15:40:00
