Doc Rivers openly called out the Milwaukee Bucks’ miscues after they fell 120-97 in a lopsided loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.
After the game, Rivers addressed the blowout, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. He criticized the team’s lapses and inconsistent stretches that kept Milwaukee from gaining control, allowing Chicago to dominate during the most crucial moments of the matchup.
Here was Doc Rivers' opening statement, when asked about the Bulls' 27-0 run against the Bucks this afternoon: pic.twitter.com/FrQVCFJYYd
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 1, 2026
“The good looks came after crappy basketball for the first 11 minutes of the third quarter. The second group, they got us the 15-point lead. The first group came in before halftime, lost it and then regained it and then lost it again. They lost two 15-point leads. The second group, there was a stretch in the second quarter, where it couldn’t have been more beautiful than the way the game was played. No dribbles, into the paint, they did everything you were supposed to do as a team and then the first group came back in and did the exact opposite,” the Bucks head coach commented.
Doc Rivers has been coaching in the NBA since 1999, leading five different teams over his career. He is now in his third season with the Milwaukee Bucks. During his tenure, the team has underachieved, enduring consecutive first-round playoff exits while uncertainty looms over the franchise’s future with Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially exploring free agency in 2027.
Doc Rivers’ disappointment on the Bucks loss
Feb 11, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The recent blowout loss to Chicago only intensified concerns, as the Bucks allowed a 27-0 run that left them reeling throughout the game.
“So, to me, when you have seven or eight minutes of that to start the third quarter and then the group that got the lead came in and played right again, they just couldn’t make shots. And to me, I don’t know if there’s such a thing as the basketball gods, but if there is, he was alive tonight. When you approach the game and play like that, you don’t deserve to win. If we would have won the game, I would have been upset,” he continued.
Mar 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Leonard Miller (11) dunks the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
“I’d have taken the win because we need it, but that is not how you play basketball. I don’t know how many contested in-between jump shots we took in the third. I can’t wait to look at it. It felt like every other shot was a contested off the dribble, 16 dribbles, in-between jump shot and that’s the worst shot in the game, unless it’s the last five seconds of the clock, so that was a disappointing loss and I hope we all feel it.”
Doc Rivers and the Bucks need to take a hard look at themselves. While Giannis Antetokounmpo remains sidelined with an injury, the team cannot allow performances like the one that led to their blowout loss against the Bulls.