Doc Rivers calls the trial a double standard

The Milwaukee BucksWednesday night’s road loss to the Golden State Warriors wasn’t just defined by hot shooting and momentum swings, it was also shaped by frustration with the way the game was runespecially around a physical lineup that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo and Draymond Green.

After the game, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers asked about the order and broader tone of the trial. Rivers he didn’t hold back, expressing disbelief that the play was never reviewed.

“I thought we didn’t do a good job in the first half,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of the Athletics. “But listen, I also thought veteran teams like this get away with things. How you don’t look at a flagrant foul is funny, right? And listen, I’m a big Draymond Green fan before I say that. And the reason I am is because he’s such an instigator, okay? But they called a tech in the first half on Scoot. But then they call a tech on Scoot?

Midway through the second quarter, tensions escalated when Green and Antetokounmpo exchanged physical games. Antetokounmpo was called for a foul more than 30 feet from the basket after that making contact with Green.

Giannis barrels over Draymond Green for the easy tvo 💪
pic.twitter.com/7HVrgOn8iU

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 8, 2026

Later in the quarter, Green returned a hard elbow to Antetokounmpo’s face on a layup attempt, sending him crashing to the baseline, a play that was called a regular foul and not reviewed as a flagrant.

Here’s a foul that Giannis Antetokounmpo thought should have been reviewed as flagrant: https://t.co/KkvDkAHnjn pic.twitter.com/eTcriTNAtk

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 8, 2026

“And then they, all three of them, came out at halftime and said, ‘Man, we blew it. That was flagrant. We should have looked.’ My only question: ‘So, what were you looking at? I mean, you committed a foul, so you saw something.’ It’s really frustrating there,” the coach added. “So what I’m saying is, in our defense, they say that, it’s frustrating. And then Scoot says, ‘I hardly say anything to the referee and I have a technique.’ I can hear this guy swearing at them and nothing. So it’s frustrating.”

The consequences of that act turned out to be expensive. Antetokounmpo, still visibly fired up, was booked for delay of game and soon picked up his third foul. after Jimmy Butler III attacked the rim. With Giannis on the bench, Golden State was able to go on an 11-0 run, turning a tight game into a double-digit halftime lead.

The Warriors ended up driving elite perimeter shooting, making 18 3-pointers, to a 120-113 victory. despite the release of Antetokounmpo 34 points and 10 rebounds in just 31 minutes. Milwaukee briefly made a push early in the second half, but never fully recovered from the momentum built late in the second quarter.