No, the Phoenix Suns weren’t going to mess up at Footprint Center. On Monday, they had to remind their guests, the Milwaukee Bucks, where they belonged—away from the winning line. And so, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 31-point, double-double game night was no comparison to Kevin Durant’s 38-point madness, which led to the Suns’ victory, 108-106. It left the Bucks HC Doc Rivers in shock and a whole lot of lessons to take back to his team.

The Bucks stumbled into Q2, coughing up two Kuzma turnovers that fueled a 6-0 Suns burst, forcing Doc Rivers to call time just two minutes in. They found their footing through Brook Lopez bullying Oso Ighodaro inside, while Giannis Antetokounmpo exploited mismatches, kicking to open shooters and stretching the lead to eight with 2:25 left. But their overzealous defense backfired—needless doubles and backcourt pressure let the Suns sneak back. At halftime, the Bucks still held the edge, 58-54.

But the result? It was a tough loss for the Bucks, who are battling for the No. 3 to No. 6 playoff positions in the Eastern Conference with the Knicks, Pacers, and Pistons. So what were Rivers’ thoughts on the game? Well, in the post-game presser as shared by the Milwaukee Bucks channel on YouTube, the HC said:

“AJ kind of went too early. You knock Giannis off strike. We wanted Giannis to come up. Then, he was supposed to pick Brook, and Brook was going over. It is what it is.” The HC complained that AJ Green’s early actions disrupted the timing and positioning. Since the execution was off, the play didn’t work as intended.

Speaking of execution, was the late-game gameplay vs. the Phoenix Suns frustrating for Doc Rivers? “Not really. I think we executed pretty well. That one wasn’t, but we’ve been pretty good, so I’m not going to overdo the one play. Honestly, that wasn’t the reason we lost the game,” the coach stated. Then, what was the reason behind the Bucks’ loss? “The biggest play of the game was a three-point play. That was a three-point play, and how that wasn’t is beyond my imagination. That’s a six-point swing.”

Doc Rivers believes the officials missed a crucial call, denying his team a three-point opportunity. Instead, the opposing team likely scored, creating a six-point swing—three points lost for his team and three gained by the other. Rivers added:

“I had to burn two timeouts on calls that should have been made. Now I’m left with one timeout for the game. I think there should be a rule that if I get two right, I should get a timeout and an extra challenge. Clearly, the ball went off them both times, and I had to use a challenge for both. Unfortunately, those timeouts were charged to me, so I burned two timeouts being right. I don’t think that’s what the rules were made for. We have to figure that one out.”

Similarly, Lopez too was surprised by the non-calls and while Doc Rivers spewed out his frustration before the media, his biggest and brightest star, the Greek Freak, issued a message for the Milwaukee Bucks locker room. Giannis Antetokounmpo is not the one to settle down with a loss. Therefore, when the big man talks, you listen.

Giannis Antetokounmpo sends a clear message to Bucks locker room after Suns loss…

Giannis Antetokounmpo is proud of the team’s effort despite the loss. He highlighted their strong defense and noted: “We played good basketball. In the second half in Sacramento, they had 27 points and 19 points. Coming in here, first quarter, they had 19 or 21 points—something like that, I don’t remember.”

He further praised their physicality, steals, and deflections, but admitted they need to improve rebounding and limiting second-chance points. Despite the loss, he believes their competitive mindset is pushing them in the right direction. To succeed, he emphasized the need for constant effort, defensive pressure, and physicality.

The 30-year-old said: “I know we didn’t win, but leaving this game, you feel happy that you’re going in the right direction. This is the only way we are going to be good. We have to compete, be big out there, show our length, get into passing lanes, get deflections, pick up guys full court, and be more physical than them. We just have to compete more. If we do that, we have a chance.”

Amidst Tuesday’s debacle, the team still has enough time left in the season to improve its offense and score effectively, despite missing key players for a period. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo clarified, “I don’t care about offense. We can score the ball and still not win. We have to play defense. This is our group. We have time to keep playing together, keep figuring out how we like to play with one another, each other’s parts.”

The Bucks fought hard but left with lessons, not a win. Doc Rivers fumed over calls and lost timeouts, while Antetokounmpo saw a bigger picture—defense over everything. Their offense will come, but grit and chemistry must lead the way. With time still on their side, the path forward is clear—compete, adapt, and rise. What do you think?