Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks turned in a disjointed and lackluster effort in a 127–82 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets, coming just three days after an unexpected win over the Boston Celtics without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The loss left Milwaukee at 11–16 overall and 3–9 on the road, while the Nets notched only their seventh victory of the season.
“I thought that was awful. Awful all around,” said the Bucks head coach during his post-game availability. “On me because I clearly didn’t get them ready. And on us. Give Brooklyn credit because I thought they played hard as heck. They moved the ball. They played right. We didn’t.”
Gary Trent Jr. paced the Bucks with 20 points, but Milwaukee shot just 39.2 percent from the field and made only eight of 35 three-point attempts (22.9 percent). The team also committed 20 turnovers, a problem that has plagued them repeatedly this season.
Doc Rivers disappointed in the Bucks performance
Dec 14, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers looks on during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
“That was disappointing, probably one of the more disappointing games I’ve ever been involved in with the way we performed and competed. And we wanted to blame everybody but ourselves. We’re blaming the refs. We’re looking at each other. No one wanted to play hard. We got a lot of soul-searching to do.”
After a strong start in his first six games back from injuries that kept him out after the season opener, Kevin Porter Jr. struggled against the Nets. He scored just 5 points on 2-of-13 shooting, going 0-for-5 from three. Porter added seven assists but also led the team with six turnovers.
Dec 14, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers looks on during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
“We gave up 30 points in turnovers. (It was) not until the beginning of the second half that we actually looked like a basketball team where we started passing the ball,” Rivers continued.
After opening the season 8–5, the Bucks have dropped 11 of their last 14 games. They urgently need to climb out of the hole they’ve dug and start stringing together wins, even with their the Greek Freak sidelined.