Zach Lavine is the Chicago Bulls’ leading scorer and rebounder, but he didn’t have to do much against the Milwaukee Bucks. They won the match and Doc Rivers believes there was one player who stood out and punished them.
Josh Giddey recorded his 13th triple double after going 23-15-10 in a 111-105 win over the visiting Bucks.
Lavine had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
For Rivers, much of the damage done to them happened through Giddey’s execution. His three delayed goals didn’t matter much.
Doc Rivers: “I thought their most valuable player the entire game was Josh Giddey. Even before he scored 3s. He didn’t even have to hit a 3. He just pushed the ball up, got into the paint and just caused havoc. He dominated and controlled the entire match.”
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 29, 2024
“I thought their most valuable player the whole game was Josh Giddey,” the Bucks coach told reporters after the game.
“Even before he scored 3s. He didn’t even have to hit a 3. He just pushed the ball up, got into the paint and just caused havoc. He dominated and controlled the entire match.”
Damian Lillard returned after a three-game absence, scoring 29 points and dishing out 12 assists.
Khris Middleton scored 21 points and Brook Lopez 22.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to score 32 points per game he didn’t play.
Doc Rivers laments the Bucks’ impoverished defense
It was a close game, but Rivers thought there were a lot of things they could fix. Giddey played the game of his career, but he thinks they can play better in other aspects.
First, Lillard didn’t touch the ball in the last five minutes, something Rivers should have done better and better.
Another issue is their defense. He said the team did lack of defensive presence all night long.
“I felt like we were playing with fool’s gold all night long. I thought we didn’t look good defensively all evening… I just didn’t think we controlled the ball. I don’t even think they were pick-and-rolls. I thought we never controlled the ball.
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