The Milwaukee Bucks had been one of the top teams in the NBA throughout the first three months of the 2023-24 regular season, but a change was called for. First year head coach Adrian Griffin had apparently lost the locker room and the faith of the star players on the team, and was fired on January 24th despite a 30-13 record and second-place standing in the Eastern Conference.
The team brought in Doc Rivers, a big name replacement with a championship on his resume, in order to guide them to where they believe Griffin couldn’t. But it hasn’t exactly been the best start to Rivers’ tenure.
NBA: Bucks Have Struggled So Far Under Doc Rivers
The Bucks are now 1-3 since firing Adrian Griffin. pic.twitter.com/6ZyLQPSX9m
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 5, 2024
There will of course be growing pains and transitional issues any time a new scheme or philosophy is brought in. Rivers and the Bucks were faced with a tough test in his first contest as the team’s head coach, going up against Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Milwaukee ended up losing by 6 points in a well-contested game, and it was thought that things would only improve as the team gelled under their new leader.
Two nights later, however, the Portland Trail Blazers spoiled Damian Lillard’s “revenge” game, pulling off a 10.5-point upset and dropping Rivers’ record with the team to 0-2.
The Dallas Mavericks were the ones who were on the losing end of Milwaukee’s first win under their new head coach. A combined 78 points from Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo was enough to top a 40-point effort from Luka Dončić, and a solid win against a playoff-caliber opponent was just what the “Doc” had ordered.
31 Point Swing In Final 15 Minutes Downs Milwaukee
The Jazz were down by 12 points vs. the Bucks entering the 4th quarter…
They ended up winning by 15 points 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ulRbiSJmnO
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 5, 2024
Then, on Sunday, the Bucks were forced to play the second of a road back-to-back, this time in Utah against the Jazz. And while it looked like Rivers’ would even his record at 2-2 and have his first winning streak with his new NBA team, Milwaukee simply ran out of gas on Sunday night.
The Bucks were up by 16 points with less than three minutes left in the 3rd quarter, but would score a total of just 18 points the rest of the way. The Jazz took the lead with 6:26 left in the 4th, and never looked back, eventually finishing with a 123-108 victory. Milwaukee had given up a 31 point swing over the final 15 minutes of the game.
With the combination of the loss and the win by the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Milwaukee is now a full 5 games back of first place in the East.
The team has yet to play a home game under their new head coach. They’ll play one more on the road, on Tuesday in Phoenix, before starting a four-game home stand. During the month of February, they’ll play against some of the worst teams in the NBA, including three against the Charlotte Hornets.
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