Milwaukee Bucks fell 120-113 to the Golden State Warriors as tensions flared over officiating, particularly a physical sequence between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Draymond Green. Bucks coach Doc Rivers criticized the refs for failing to review Green’s elbow on Giannis, calling it a clear flagrant.
Milwaukee Bucks tough road loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday wasn’t just about hot shooting from beyond the arc—it was also marred by controversial calls, particularly a physical exchange between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Draymond Green.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers didn’t hold back when discussing the officiating after the 120-113 defeat. He was frustrated that a clear flagrant foul wasn’t reviewed, despite a sequence that left Milwaukee’s star on the floor.
“I thought, in the first half, we didn't do a good job of it,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “But listen, I also thought veteran teams like this get away with things. How you don't look at the flagrant foul is ridiculous, 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, all right? But they called a tech in the first half on Scoot (Porter)? After Draymond Green's waving his hands at refs, yelling at refs? But then they call a tech on Scoot?…Clear flagrant foul. They didn't even look. They didn't even look.”
The tension boiled over midway through the second quarter. Antetokounmpo was whistled for a foul more than 30 feet from the basket after a minor contact with Green. Later, Green struck Giannis with a hard elbow during a layup attempt, sending the Bucks star crashing to the baseline. The play was ruled a common foul and wasn’t reviewed for a flagrant.
Rivers expressed his disbelief over the missed call. “And then they, all three, come out at halftime and said, ‘Man, we blew that. That was a flagrant. We should have looked.' My only question, ‘Well, what were you looking at? I mean, you called a foul, so you saw something.' It's really frustrating there,” he said.
The sequence had a major impact on the game. Antetokounmpo, still fired up, received a delay-of-game warning and quickly picked up his third foul after Jimmy Butler attacked the rim.
With Giannis on the bench, Golden State went on an 11-0 run, turning a tight contest into a double-digit halftime lead.
Despite the officiating frustration, Antetokounmpo delivered a monster performance with 34 points and 10 rebounds in just 31 minutes. The Bucks made a brief push early in the second half, but they could not overcome the momentum swing caused by the late second-quarter sequence.
Golden State’s shooting was too much to handle, as the Warriors knocked down 18 three-pointers to secure the 120-113 victory.
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