Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter and Doc Rivers react to Bucks loss to 76ers
Bobby Portis Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Doc Rivers react to Bucks loss to 76ers
DETROIT – The Milwaukee Bucks are in Detroit for the second night of a back-to-back as they take on the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6.
The Bucks hung in despite the Pistons going on an 11-0 run late in the first quarter, and they trailed 29-22 after one quarter. The Bucks did not have a live ball turnover in the frame and just one giveaway in total while forcing six Pistons turnovers to offset a 36% shooting performance. Myles Turner scored 12 points to lead Milwaukee.
The Bucks (10-14) upset the Pistons (18-5) at Fiserv Forum on Dec. 3 after Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured, coming back from an 18-point deficit to win.
Is Giannis playing?
No. The Bucks superstar will miss the second straight game since injuring his calf against the Pistons, and coach Doc Rivers believes Antetokounmpo might be out for closer to the four-week mark than not.
Antetokounmpo, who was not on the Bucks bench in their loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 5, will also not be in attendance at Little Caesars Arena.
“He will travel most of the time,” Rivers said after the game against the 76ers. “Our thing is, especially because this just happened, with the blood flow and all the flights and all that stuff, keep him home. After (Dec. 6), we have a four-day break. We’re going to take two days off. I think they need it through this stretch, and then we have two great days of practice, which I’m looking forward to.”
Is AJ Green playing?
Guard AJ Green exited the game against the 76ers late in the second quarter of the Bucks’ 116-101 loss with an injury to his left, non-shooting, shoulder. The Bucks ruled him out at halftime with a contusion on that shoulder.
Rivers said after the game that Green will travel with the team to Detroit on Dec. 6 and will get imaging on the shoulder on the road.
Green absorbed a big hit on an illegal screen by 6-foot, 11-inch, 279-pound Philadelphia center Andre Drummond with 4 minutes, 4 seconds left in the second quarter. Green stayed in the game initially but after subbing out at the 2:13 mark, Green walked straight to the Bucks locker room.
Green finished the half 0-for-4 from behind the three-point line in 15 minutes of action. He also had two assists.
Without Giannis, Bucks struggle to score
In both instances this season when Antetokounmpo has been injured, Rivers has acknowledged that the team’s margin of error to win games is very thin. And, to date, the Bucks haven’t come out on the right side of that margin.
Heading into the game against the Pistons, the Bucks are 1-6 in games Antetokounmpo completely misses.
As for how the team can perform better without Antetokounmpo, center Myles Turner said, “Well, consistency just down the board. Role clarity is something that is very important, something that I think we’re still learning. I think that we have to continue to believe in what we’re doing.
“I know it was last year, but my team (in Indiana), we were 10-15 at the beginning of the year last year and made our way to the finals. So, it’s never a question of believe on my end. It’s just the collective buy-in and figuring out what that role clarity means.”
And it’s no surprise that one of their biggest issues is on the offensive end. In totality, the Bucks are 20 in the league in scoring at 115.2 points per game. But in the seven games Antetokounmpo has missed, they’ve averaged just 108.1 points per game.
Through the seven-game losing streak in November, the Bucks kept a positive spirit and felt they turned a competitive corner without Antetokounmpo in a three-point loss to Miami on Nov. 26. Antetokounmpo returned two days later in a nine-point loss at New York, but after a fun win over Brooklyn on Nov. 29, the team, in some respects, hit rock-bottom with a three-point loss to the last-place Wizards in Washington.
They bounced back with a big win over the Pistons, but fell behind by 26 points in the first half against Philadelphia.
“I wouldn’t say we’re pressing,” Bobby Portis Jr. said. “I would say more so just trying to play good basketball, getting the ball moving side-to-side, playing with swag, playing with energy, having fun. I think the biggest thing is just having fun. I think, when you have fun, the ball naturally comes to you, you naturally have a good spirit, you naturally do your job.
“In the NBA now, ‘do your job’ is multiple efforts, scrambling, guarding different positions, helping your teammate by making the extra pass, being a great teammate when you come off the court. All those things kind of go into winning. I think it’s on us just to have fun.”
Bucks starting lineupGuards: Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr.Forwards: Jericho Sims, Kyle KuzmaCenter: Myles TurnerBucks vs Pistons odds
Detroit is a whopping 12.5-point favorite over Milwaukee, with the over/under set at 224.5 points, per BetMGM.
What time is the Bucks game?
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
What channel are the Bucks on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks on the call.