“I believe it was a better team than the first time when we played them. But at the end of the day, they came in, played way harder than us, better than us, and they were able to get a win”. Giannis Antetokounmpo was candid in his reaction in the aftermath of the Bucks’ loss against the Knicks. After all, “better than us” could not have been clearer, because Jalen Brunson and co secured the win by a 34-point margin (140-106). For a team that had recently established a 3-game win streak to indicate a potential comeback, this emerged as a low point for the squad. From head coach Doc Rivers to veteran Damian Lillard, no one attempted to hide the reality that presented itself on the court.

During the post-game presser, the Milwaukee Bucks head coach was reminded that the squad has played the top three teams in the east 8 times now, without securing a win in any matchups. When asked if this was a sign that the team may be looking to prioritize the post-season more, Rivers dismissed this claim. Referencing critics like Tim Bontemps who questioned the 0-8 claim initially, the head coach clarified that the losses did not occur due to the wrong strategy. They were lapses.

“I’m being honest, because we know you’re playing well in the playoffs, you play those same teams. You can beat those same teams. Right now, the way we played the Knicks, that’s probably very true because they’ve kicked our b**t twice. And so, you got to live with what they’re doing. I got to do something better, the team’s got to do something better, but we feel comfortable against anybody,” said Rivers.

The same 0-8 talking point was also something that Damian Lillard was asked about. The veteran also dismissed the claim that the team was not prioritizing the regular season. He highlighted his viewpoint the Bucks performed “really well” against the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite the loss. As for the Boston Celtics, Lillard believed that they could have won the match. However, when it came to the Knicks, he was blunt when he stated “You know, against New York, we struggled”.

The recent matchup marks the 4 consecutive game that Giannis Antetokounmpo and co have lost against the Knicks. Before that, the Bucks were on a 9-win streak against their Eastern Conference rival. This causes one to question, “What could have gone wrong?”

Well, for one thing, the Knicks certainly gained an advantage by bringing in Karl-Anthony Towns to their roster. His offensive effort has certainly helped the Knicks on several occasions. Including the most recent game, when he recorded 30 points and a whopping 18 rebounds during his 36 minutes on the court. He wasn’t even the top scorer on his team. After all, Jalen Brunson’s 44 points (in 29 minutes) helped the Knicks secure their sizable lead. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard could only add 24 and 22 points, respectively.

As highlighted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, several things went wrong for Damian Lillard and co during the game. Giannis went just 10-21 from the field. This 47.6% shooting was reportedly the worst one of the year for him. Meanwhile, despite having a 4-5 start, Lillard’s shot percentage also went down as he accumulated 8-17 (47.1%) field goals.

On the defensive front, the team was shorthanded. After all, Gary Trent Jr. and Ryan Rollins were both out as they recovered from their respective ailments. Brunson drew five fouls on Jackson and Green within the first 12 minutes. This allowed the Knicks star to go 7-7 from the free-throw line. With an additional 7-11 from the field, Brunson recorded a career-high 23 first-quarter points. Even the backup point guard Cam Payne had little trouble working through the defense. In the end, everything came crashing down at Madison Square Garden.

The results of the matchup showed that Doc Rivers should have been more careful going in. After all, his confession about the Knicks lineup may have indicated that he wasn’t taking things too seriously.

Doc Rivers took a dig at the Knicks’ bench production before the loss: “Has Thibs ever played the bench?”

Given their positioning as the 3 seed on the Eastern Conference chart, one would presume that the New York Knicks squad is doing well. However, going into their recent game, the franchise ranked last in bench scoring (19.9 points per game) and rebounding (9.8 per game). Furthermore, they were also getting the fewest minutes out of their reserves. After all, when you have players like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on your team, one usually would want to utilize their time on the court to the best. For Doc Rivers, however, these stats were a good enough reason to take a dig at his rival team’s head coach.

“Has Thibs ever played the bench?” said Rivers with a laugh before the matchup. Rivers did add “I’m joking, I’m joking!” to his remarks. In the end, unfortunately, Rivers wasn’t the one who was laughing.

As the 6th seed on the points chart, Doc Rivers’ team has not lost all hope yet. However, their choice of how to proceed from here is something that remains to be seen.