Bucks Zone

Despite mounting losses, Giannis Antetokounmpo still sees the Milwaukee Bucks improving

Giannis and Doc note improvement despite Milwaukee’s struggles.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have taken a dive since undertaking a coaching shake-up that saw the sudden firing of Adrian Griffin and the arrival of veteran coach Doc Rivers.

The Bucks went 1-4 in their five-game road trip and dropped their second-straight loss with a 106-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

Need to work harder

Despite the mini-slump, Giannis Antetokounmpo remained in high spirits, believing that the Bucks are improving defensively. The Greek Freak, however, emphasized that the Bucks need to double their efforts with the season entering its crucial stretches.

"We've got to keep getting better, keep watching films. Now, we have to work twice as hard. If we're willing to do that, we'll be OK," said Giannis, who finished with 34 points and ten rebounds in the loss.

Doc is confident Milwaukee will get back on track

Rivers has the same observation as Giannis. Doc said the Bucks are playing better as a team and have improved significantly on defense.

"The confidence is growing, you know…made a couple of mistakes, which is fine, but you can see the confidence; you can see they are talking at halftime. They were talking about the little run and jumps we're going to do in the second half," said Rivers.

The Bucks had been dislodged from second place, a spot they occupied for several weeks before suffering a mini-slump. Milwaukee and New York are tied for the third and fourth spots in the Eastern Conference with identical 33-18 records.

Losses are piling up, but for Rivers, the team's confidence is also developing, and it will soon translate into wins.

"The defensive confidence is absolutely growing, and that's a big thing for this team. They can get that confidence, that takes us to a different level," Rivers said.

The short-handed Milwaukee Bucks end road trip with a loss to the Phoenix Suns

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.