標籤: Rivers

The Milwaukee Bucks have had a rough season and will likely miss the playoffs. Recently, the NBPA attacked the Bucks and their decision to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury and bone spur. According to Bucks beat writer Eric Nehm, coach Doc Rivers fired back at his criticism.

“Bucs coach Doc Rivers dismissed the NBPA’s claim that Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and is being held out. He also responded to Adam Silver’s comments about looking into the injury. ‘He’s making progress, he’s just not healthy,’ -Rivers,” Nehm wrote on X.

Antetokounmpo suffered an injury against the Indiana Pacers and has been out the past two weeks. Because of this, discussion has started on how serious his injury is. There has been trade speculation regarding Antetokounmpo throughout the season and the NBA world has been waiting for a decision. There has been no discussion yet about whether he will stay in Milwaukee or go to another team.

Antetokounmpo has suffered recurring injuries throughout the season, and is a major reason why the Bucks are 29-43 and nearly out of playoff contention. His struggles have led to speculations about his departure.

The Greek superstar has spent his entire 13-year career with the Bucks. He led them to the 2021 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Phoenix Suns. Since that win, the team has struggled to regain the position it achieved that season. With the team’s competitive future in flux, there may be more pressure to send Antetokounmpo off. If Antetokounmpo misses the remainder of the season without incident, there will be even more doubt about his future in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Bucks decided to waive Cam Thomas on Monday afternoon, just hours before the Bucks were scheduled to take on the LA Clippers in Los Angeles.

The decision comes just weeks after the franchise signed the guard to help its shorthanded roster in an effort to advance in the playoffs.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was asked about the move to waive Thomas before the game on Monday.

“Yeah, it was pretty tough, to be honest,” Doc Rivers told members of the media before the Clippers-Bucs game. “We’ve run out of resources and at the end of the day, there are guys you have to make decisions on. I thought Cam was really good overall, and he might be a guy we could look at again. Where we’re at right now, not really looking because when we signed him, we thought it was the right thing to do for the rest of the guys right now.”

Thomas was released by the Brooklyn Nets on February 5 after a suitable trade partner could not be found for the guard. On February 8, the Bucks and Cam Thomas agreed to a deal for the remainder of the season.

Since the contract he played 18 games for the Bucks, averaging 10.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three.

“There are things we don’t need to talk about,” Rivers said. “It’s nobody’s job, like I said before. As a coach you have to decide what’s best for the team at that time. People don’t understand that, they talk about other things, and it’s not for anybody to know.”

From 2023 to 2025, Cam Thomas played 91 games for the Bucks, averaging 22.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three.

The Miami Heat have cooled off the past few games as the basketball world is still trying to process Bam Adebayo’s recent 83-point game, the second-most in NBA history. While some have celebrated the feat, which puts him ahead of Kobe Bryant and behind only Wilt Chamberlain in the record books, others have tried to downplay Adebayo’s accomplishment by pointing out some of the bizarre tactics Miami used to help him get to this point.

One guy who falls into the latter camp is former NBA guard Austin Rivers, who recently went on The Ryan Russillo Show to challenge Adebayo.

“If you score more than 30 against [Victor Wembanyama]. It will be as impressive to me as you are getting [83] Points… I’ll tip more than you get [83] Against the f*****g Wizards,” Rivers said, according to X, formerly of The Ryan Russillo Show on Twitter.

Adebayo will have a chance to do that on Monday night when the Heat host Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat have a very difficult schedule at the moment, having lost four games in a row and falling into the play-in field in the Eastern Conference as a result. Adebayo had a stellar game of 32 points and 21 rebounds over the weekend against the Houston Rockets, but Miami lost in the final seconds when Amen Thompson missed Kevin Durant at the buzzer.

Adebayo had a big game against the Spurs earlier this year, and he’ll need a similar output this time around to get Miami back in the win column against a San Antonio team that has been impressive in recent weeks.

Tipoff between the Heat and Spurs is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.

如果你对自己的工作感到非常沮丧，庆幸你不是密尔沃基雄鹿队的教练道格·里弗斯。

周四雄鹿队在三角洲中心以128-96惨败给犹他爵士队后，里弗斯肯定又失声了。密尔沃基一度落后37分之多。

雄鹿队开局低迷，首节爵士队以30-19领先。从那时起，球队就开始走下坡路，在这个令人沮丧的赛季中，他们的战绩跌至 28 胜 41 负。

据《The Athletic》的埃里克·内姆报道，赛后，里弗斯对自己的表现非常诚实。

“我们打得很糟糕。今晚没有任何竞争精神。”

雄鹿队的投篮命中率只有41%，篮板球也以47-35落后。他们的失误减少了 28 分。

当你无法击败一支已经准备输球的球队时，那就说明出了严重的问题。

“我认为第一组定下了基调。我认为第一组进来了，该组中的每个人都在努力得分。这太有趣了，我们今天进行了一场精彩的投篮训练，球在移动。一切都是第二个动作，”里弗斯补充道。

“前六次，应该去（第二个动作）的人保留了它。但到了最后，我有责任让他们发挥正确的作用。”

由于伤病管理，字母哥缺席了比赛。最近有报道称，雄鹿队希望在本赛季剩余时间内关闭字母哥，但这位两届MVP拒绝了。

瑞安·罗林斯（Ryan Rollins）为密尔沃基雄鹿队拿下15分、3个篮板和5次助攻，而替补出场的卡姆·托马斯（Cam Thomas）得到14分、2个篮板和4次助攻。

If you’re feeling very frustrated with your job, just be thankful you’re not coach Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Rivers may have lost his voice again after the Bucks suffered an embarrassing 128-96 loss to the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on Thursday. At one point, Milwaukee was down by 37 points.

The Bucks got off to a sluggish start, with the Jazz outscoring them 30–19 in the first quarter. It was all downhill from there, as they fell to 28–41 in a deer in headlights season.

As Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported, Rivers was brutally honest about his performance after the game.

“We played very badly. Didn’t play with any competitive spirit tonight.”

The Bucks shot only 41% from the floor and were outrebounded 47-35. They reduced their turnovers by 28 points.

When you can’t beat a team that’s already staring at defeat, something is very wrong.

“I thought the first group set the tone. I thought the first group arrived, and everybody in that group was trying to score. It’s so fun, we had a great shootaround today where the ball was moving around. Everything was second act,” Rivers said.

“The first six times, the guy who was supposed to go (in the second act) kept it intact. But at the end of the day, the onus is on me to play them the right way.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game due to injury management. It was recently reported that the Bucks wanted to lock up Antetokounmpo for the remainder of the season, but the two-time MVP refused.

Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 15 points, three rebounds and five assists, while Cam Thomas had 14 points, two rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Doc Rivers addressed the injury scare that Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday evening.

Antetokounmpo destroyed the Pacers’ defense in 23 minutes of action. He finished with a stat line of 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. He shot 11 of 22 from the field and 9 of 13 from the free-throw line.

However, Antetokounmpo suffered an injury midway through the third quarter. He highlighted an incredible dunk, but landed awkwardly as he needed time to recover himself before getting up from the floor. According to reporter Eric Nehm, Rivers gave an update on the star forward’s health after the game, revealing hyperextension in his left knee.

“Doctor Rivers says he’s speculating that Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee on this dunk in the third quarter, but there was no official diagnosis from the team. Rivers also said he didn’t know if any imaging would be done on the injury yet,” Nehm wrote.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, how the Bucks played against the Pacers

The Bucks were fortunate to see that Giannis Antetokounmpo did not suffer any serious injuries. Despite this, the team kept it intact and defeated the Pacers with a score of 134-123.

Six players scored in double figures for Milwaukee in the win, including Antetokounmpo. Bobby Portis gave a strong performance with 29 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench. He made 11 of 21 shots overall, including 6 of 11 from downtown. Ryan Rollins came next with 20 points and seven assists, Myles Turner and Taurean Prince each scored 13 points, while AJ Green provided 12 points and two rebounds.

Milwaukee improved to a 28–39 record on the season and 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets while trailing the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks.

The Bucks will stay at home and await their next matchup. They will host the Cleveland Cavaliers as tip-off takes place on March 17 at 8 PM ET.

The Milwaukee Bucks have had an up and down season and sit at 26-35. The biggest story for the Bucks is what’s happening with Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was almost traded by the NBA trade deadline, but remained with Milwaukee for at least the remainder of the season. Now, the biggest story is that Doc Rivers decided to keep Kyle Kuzma on the bench as a coaching decision.

The Bucks were playing the Celtics, and Kuzma did not play due to a coaching decision. Doc Rivers said the goal for the overall lineup is to try different things to find a rhythm, but he did not directly address benching Kyle Kuzma.

Kuzma addressed The Athletic’s Eric Nehm and said that he did not know in advance that it was happening, but he took it seriously and trusted the coaching staff, especially Rivers, given their past success.

“You have to take it seriously,” Kuzma said. “At the end of the day, we trust our coaching staff to make the right decisions on this team or whatever they think can win us games, especially for a guy like Doc. You know, he’s in the top 5 all-time in wins, so he knows basketball.”

Kuzma’s benching did not affect the outcome of the game, as the Celtics defeated the Bucks 108–81, despite Giannis Antetokounmpo returning from injury.

The former Laker was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Bucks midway through the 2024–25 season. In his first full year with the Bucks, the 2020 NBA champion averaged 12.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest, while shooting 48.3% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range in 56 games.

The Bucks are currently the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference and face an uphill battle to make the postseason, even a play-in game. They have also lost four games in a row and don’t look like they are a playoff-caliber team.

It’s been a tough journey for Kuzma, and if he’s still part of the Bucks’ plans moving forward, he still has another season left on his current contract beyond 2025-26. The $20.3 million Kuzma is owed in 2026-27 is also nearly fully guaranteed.

It’s looked hopeless at many points this season, but somehow, the Milwaukee Bucks are still alive in the playoff race — especially now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is back in action after a long absence of more than a month due to a calf injury.

Although it is mathematically possible for the Bucks to make the play-in tournament, as at the time of writing, they are only four games behind the Atlanta Hawks in the standings, the fact that they are not in the playoff picture is a clear indication that the team is not very good right now.

There’s no denying Antetokounmpo’s greatness, but the prolonged absence of a superstar shouldn’t mean the team will collapse around him. For the Bucks, they have collapsed most of the season when Antetokounmpo is on the mend. They’ve gone 11-18 without him, and that won’t cut it.

Of course, the good news is that Antetokounmpo remains on the roster, even though he was on the trade block just a month ago and it looked like a blockbuster trade involving him would finally materialize.

It simply means that the Bucks are still on the clock, as there is not zero chance that Antetokounmpo will commit his future to the team despite his disappointing short-term to medium-term outlook.

And while they are limited in the changes they can make to the roster, perhaps the Bucks can start convincing Antetokounmpo that they mean business by cleaning house – starting with the departure of head coach Doc Rivers.

Bucks need to start fresh, move on from Doc Rivers

Despite having a 30–13 record, the Bucks made the surprise decision to fire Adrian Griffin and replace him with Doc Rivers as the team’s head coach in 2024. They finished the season under .500 under Rivers (they went 19–20) and lost in the first round of the playoffs against the eventual conference finalists Indiana Pacers.

Now, this isn’t going to turn into Griffin’s defense. By all accounts, the Bucks locker room questioned his strategy because Griffin had not maximized the team’s personnel. But reports revealed that when Griffin called his players out he took it in stride, although the fact that he did meant that his respect for them was fractured from the start.

Still, Griffin coached a terrible defense, and it was clear Antetokounmpo was growing tired of his schemes. They replaced Griffin with Rivers, who at least has the respect of people in the locker room.

This may be Rivers’ only save at this stage of his coaching career. Everyone knows the story with Rivers: He won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, maintains a sense of professionalism in the locker room that commands respect from everyone on the team, and he’s a consistent win producer, at least in the regular season.

Rivers has had his fair share of black eyes in the playoffs. He is the only head coach in NBA history to lead multiple 3–1 playoff series. His star-studded teams perform poorly under the bright lights of the postseason. But that’s all moot when the Bucks team he’s currently coaching couldn’t even make the start of the postseason.

Some Bucks fans may be wondering why Rivers hasn’t been fired yet. The results have not been there, and there has been nothing but disappointment in the Cream City since the team brought him in. It’s clear his voice still has influence in the locker room, and Antetokounmpo is at least there to stay with him unlike Griffin.

The Bucks’ shortcomings this season aren’t really Rivers’ fault. The team he is currently coaching is not very good anyway. But he’s not really adding wins to the team. Some of his rotation decisions recently were surprising; Why did Kyle Kuzma not play at all in their recent loss to the Boston Celtics? Why was Ryan Rollins, of all people, benched upon Antetokounmpo’s return?

It’s time for a fresh start for the Bucks under the tutelage of a well-known coach who knows how to handle a locker room with big egos. And for once, the Bucks will have to enlist the services of a new voice, an up-and-coming assistant who has paid his dues during his time in the NBA.

Why Mika Nori deserves a chance in Milwaukee?

Nouri has been an assistant coach in the NBA for 17 seasons, and he is currently part of the Minnesota Timberwolves coaching staff under head coach Chris Finch. He is the main assistant of the team, as he replaces Finch if he is out or misses time due to personal reasons or injury.

Most accounts state that Nori is adept at managing game situations, meaning his main strength is adjusting to what he sees on the court. Now, the head coaching job requires much more than mastering such skills. Still, his tactical plans could be what brings Antetokounmpo on board for at least the next few years.

If there’s one thing Antetokounmpo wants from a coach, it’s defensive consistency and communication. Nori provides both; Players have appreciated the Timberwolves assistant’s ability to build relationships with them, and he has been instrumental in crafting a Minnesota defense that routinely ranks top-10 in the NBA.

Given that the Bucks lack scoring weapons around Antetokounmpo, getting it done on defense should be priority number one for them. They are currently ranked 24th in that department, so that won’t make the cut. They have solid individual pieces on defense, Kevin Porter Jr. and Rollins are very disruptive, and Myles Turner has a long history of adequate rim protection, but it hasn’t come together under Rivers.

Now, the Bucks may need an experienced head coach to reassign Antetokounmpo. But Milwaukee needs to avoid retreading head coaches at all costs. And there may be no better candidate for the potential Bucks head coaching vacancy than Nouri.

The Milwaukee Bucks finally have Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the lineup, but the celebration was short-lived. Just before tip-off against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, the team announced that guard Kevin Porter Jr. would miss the contest due to significant swelling in his right knee.

The game at Fiserv Forum is currently hotly contested, with Milwaukee holding a slim 71-66 lead at halftime, with the focus primarily on the long-term health of their young guard. Head coach Doc Rivers Axe, previously via Eric Nehm on Twitter, did not seem particularly optimistic when discussing the injury during his pre-game availability. Rivers noted that the knee has been a problem for about two weeks, but the recent incident was serious enough to raise alarm bells on a large scale.

Asked about a possible lengthy absence, Rivers said, “We’re hoping not.” “They’re going to do more things tomorrow to check, but it’s a lot of swelling and then you have the concern. It’s been really bothering him for the last few weeks, but it just hasn’t progressed the way it has, so there’s some concern there.”

The Bucks are trying their best to stabilize their season and stay in the Eastern Conference play-in race. Getting Antetokounmpo back on the floor is a big boost, but losing Porter Jr., who has been a reliable secondary playmaker averaging 17.5 points and 7.4 assists this season, is a brutal blow. Ryan Rollins has stepped into a bigger role tonight to make up for the loss as the Bucks look to stop a Jalen Johnson-led Atlanta team.

Milwaukee will likely provide a more definitive update after further testing on Thursday. For now, the Bucks are holding their breath regarding their backcourt rotation as they struggle to get a much-needed home win.

What’s going on in Milwaukee? Over the past few games, Kyle Kuzma has been a solid role player for the Milwaukee Bucks. With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, Kuzma played nice complementary basketball in place of the star. With Antetokounmpo returning against the shorthanded Boston Celtics, the former NBA champion was expected to go to the bench.

In fact, Kuzma went to the bench to start the Bucks’ game against the Celtics. However, Kuzma never left the bench during the game, not logging a single minute of action in their loss to a Boston team without Jaylen Brown. When asked why he was benched, head coach Doc Rivers said that he had decided not to play forward according to Eric Nehm.

Although Kuzma has not had a good game this season, the forward has been playing better in the last four games. He was averaging 16 points per game over the last four games, along with nearly four rebounds and only three assists. With the Bucks shut out for most of the game, it’s curious why Rivers decided not to give the forward a chance to perhaps contribute.

Over the last three games, the Bucks have lost a total of 78 points. This is a worrying trend, especially as they have been on a comeback trail and have won eight of their last ten matches. Rivers said this when asked about the sequence of defeats.

“I don’t care about the points. I just care about how we’re playing. We’ve been playing great, and we’ve kind of lost our way and I think that’s on both sides. I think offensively, we had a great rhythm and we’ve done that in spurts the last three games, but we haven’t been able to sustain it.”

The Bucks next face the Atlanta Hawks on March 4.

The Milwaukee Bucks are in no position to make fun of other teams, considering the franchise is on life support amid the many trade rumors swirling around Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And they’re certainly in no position to mock the Chicago Bulls’ deal before the trade deadline, as they lost to Chicago by 23 points on Sunday night when the Bulls outscored them 33-8 in the fourth quarter, including a 27-0 lead.

However, the basketball gods remember everything, and they certainly didn’t forget what Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said before their contest on Sunday. Before their game against the Bulls, Rivers mocked Chicago’s trade deadline moves.

According to The Big’s Drew Stevens, in response to a question about how much the Bulls have changed, Rivers said, “Yeah, they added 17 more guards.”

It’s a bit of a trend to make fun of the Bulls, but the Bucks had to back up their head coach and they didn’t. Chicago may have added 17 or maybe even 67 guards, but in the end, a win is a win. And on Sunday night, Milwaukee was on the verge of defeat.

The boxes are stuck in limbo

The Bucks have few draft assets and Antetokounmpo should move with a trade demand and not much in the way of solid young prospects to make the team. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins are two of the best young players on the team, and their long-term position home appears to be the same (point guard).

The Bucks will have no choice but to try to remain semi-competitive for at least the next few years, as they don’t control their future first-round picks until 2031. Until then, they will have to avoid the defeat they suffered against the Bulls on Sunday at all costs if they want to.

Doc Rivers didn’t stop the Milwaukee Bucks from making mistakes during Sunday night’s 120-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Rivers has been a head coach in the NBA since 1999 and has represented five teams throughout his coaching career. He currently represents the Bucks, going through his third season with the franchise.

Milwaukee has played poorly throughout his tenure, with consecutive first-round exits and the future of the franchise is in question as Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially tests free agency in 2027. The team’s loss to Chicago didn’t help matters, losing 27–0 in complete games.

According to reporter Eric Nehm, Rivers reflected on the crushing defeat after the game. He highlighted inconsistent stretches that prevented Milwaukee from taking control, resulting in Chicago’s surge in the contest’s biggest moments.

“The good looks came after bad basketball in the first 11 minutes of the third quarter. In the second group, they gave us a 15-point lead. The first group came in before halftime, lost it and then got it and then lost it again. They lost two 15-point leads… I don’t know if there is such a thing as a basketball god, but if there is, he was alive tonight,” Rivers said.

“When you get that close to the game and play like that, you don’t deserve to win. If we had won the game, I would have been upset. I would have won because we needed it, but that’s not how you play basketball. I don’t know how many jump shots we made in-between in the third. I can’t wait to see it. It felt like every second shot was a dribble, 16 dribbles, a jump shot in between and a contested shot in between.” That’s the worst shot of the game, unless it’s the last five seconds on the clock, so it was a disappointing loss and I hope we all feel that.”

Doc Rivers, how the Bucks performed against the Bulls

Doc Rivers and the Bucks have some soul-searching to do. They may still be without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to injury, but they can’t afford the loss against the Bulls.

Six players scored in double figures for Milwaukee in the loss. Bobby Portis led the team with a stat line of 18 points, five rebounds and one block. He made 7 of 14 shots from the field, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc. Cam Thomas finished second with 15 points and three assists, AJ Green had 13 points and two assists, while Ryan Rollins had 11 points and seven assists. Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr. provided 10 points each.

Milwaukee fell to a 26–33 record on the season, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, while trailing the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks.

The Bucks will look to bounce back in their next game at home. They will host the Boston Celtics as tip-off begins on March 2 at 7:30 PM ET.

A lot of things didn’t go right for the Milwaukee Bucks when they welcomed the New York Knicks to town for an Eastern Conference showdown on Friday night.

Entering the half with a 20-point deficit, the Bucks were able to play the Knicks even in the third quarter, but ultimately lost without much of a fight in the final frame of the game, scoring only 15 points in a 127–98 loss.

Discussing how the game got away from their Bucks on their home court, Doc Rivers laid it out clearly for those in attendance and beyond: Milwaukee just got beat By New York.

“Yeah, yeah, I mean some guys on their team gave us shots, and we’re OK with that,” Rivers said. “You know, and we should have still gone out and defended it, but I thought they got everything they wanted and forgot the 3s. Like when they wanted to drive, they drove the ball, when they wanted to shoot, they shot the ball. And I didn’t think we met their physicality and their intensity. And you know, that’s a good lesson for them. He knew he knew how the game was going to be played, And we couldn’t capitalize on that moment.”

Now, heading into the game, few expected the Bucks to pull out a win, as they still don’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo and have a 26-32 record with a few more weeks left in the season. Still, after some strong performances following the arrivals of Cam Thomas and Ousmane Dieng, it’s clear that Rivers is ready to break down game film and move on.

“I don’t think we could meet their physicality and intensity…we couldn’t meet that moment,” Doc Rivers says after tough loss at home to the Knicks #nba #after the game #be afraid of dear pic.twitter.com/bDf3gS4EPK

– ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) 28 February 2026

Giannis Antetokounmpo is working his way back onto the court for the Milwaukee Bucks after suffering a calf strain injury last month and it looks like he’s making real progress. It is still uncertain when he will return to the court, but head coach Doc Rivers noted that he has been playing 4-on-4, which he thinks is a good sign.

Rivers was recently asked about Antetokounmpo’s return, as some clarification was needed on whether he could return, even though he didn’t specifically need to play 5-on-5 to be cleared.

“Guys, it’s not a rocket science thing. Like, we do 3-on-3, 4-on-4, sometimes we do 5-on-5, sometimes we don’t. And it doesn’t really matter,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

Rivers was then asked what Antetokounmpo needed to do to get cleared, and he gave a very strange answer.

“To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe I should ask and I can give you information, but I know he’s close. I don’t think he’s as close as yesterday, but he’s getting close and he looks great. And that’s all I know. I can tell you what my eyes see and he looks good,” Rivers said.

It almost feels as if Rivers is keeping it a secret as to how close Antetokounmpo may be to a return, but even he doesn’t really know and is leaving it up to the training staff.

The good news is that Antetokounmpo is making progress, and they are able to win games without him. The goal is for the Bucks to try to climb up the standings so they can possibly get into the play-ins, but they either have to play for about two months, or face losses to the teams above them.

Ultimately, they can focus on what they can do, while also hoping that they get their star player back as soon as possible.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been going into battle without Giannis Antetokounmpo for some time now, as he is still trying to recover from his right calf strain. There should be some optimism over his return, as he was spotted working out during pregame, but there are probably still some benchmarks he needs to meet before he is cleared to return to the court.

Head coach Doc Rivers recently gave an update on Antetokounmpo, and it looks like he could be the closer.

“No. He’s done some 3-on-3, 4-on-4. We don’t really need to go to 5-on-5. It doesn’t go from 3 to 4 to 5. Usually 4-on-4 is pretty good… no shock,” Rivers said, via Ari Nehm of The Athletic.

Doc Rivers on what Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to do on the floor yesterday in Milwaukee: “We were in the gym and did some 3-on-3 stuff. 4-on-4 and 3-on-3, I think, live. That was good.”

The next box to examine Antetokounmpo will be live 5-on-5. https://t.co/vDps1y5PyX

– Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) 22 February 2026

Antetokounmpo has been dealing with calf strains for the past few seasons, so he probably knows the process he needs to go through to return. There’s also no doubt that he’s desperate to return to help his teammates as he bids for a chance to make the playoffs in the second half of the season.

Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have won few games, and they are getting contributions from several players. One of them is Cam Thomas, who they signed before the All-Star break.

They were recently able to defeat the Miami Heat, and it was Kevin Porter Jr. who led the way, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

The Bucks will need a lot of wins to climb up the standings for a potential play-in spot, but with Antetokounmpo, they may have a good chance to do so. The only thing is that they have to hope that the teams above them start losing, which could be a difficult task.

As of now, they can only focus on what they can control and hope that they get their star player back as soon as possible.

布法羅比爾隊在紐約西部效力九個賽季後解雇了主教練肖恩·麥克德莫特。他們正在尋找一位能夠帶領喬什·艾倫結束巔峰時期的教練。比爾隊採訪了從未擔任過 NFL 教練的菲利普·里弗斯（Philip Rivers）來擔任這個角色。但據《The Athletic》的戴安娜·魯西尼 (Dianna Russini) 報導，里弗斯將自己排除在了競爭之外。

菲利普·里弗斯 (Philip Rivers) 已退出 Bills HC 抽獎活動。據消息人士透露，在接受布法羅採訪後，他將不再考慮。 pic.twitter.com/2RhouF270c

— 黛安娜·魯西尼 (@DMRussini) 2026 年 1 月 26 日

“菲利普·里弗斯已經退出了比爾隊的選秀大會。據消息人士透露，在接受布法羅的採訪後，他將不再考慮，”魯西尼報導道。

NFL Network 的邁克·加拉弗洛 (Mike Garafolo) 進一步解釋了里弗斯退出競選的原因。 “NFL主教練很可能在他的未來，只是不是現在。聽起來他很享受在布法羅的過程，但現在對他和他的家人來說不是合適的時機。”

里弗斯在 2021 賽季結束後退役，當時比爾隊在季后賽中擊敗了印第安納波利斯小馬隊。但在丹尼爾·瓊斯因跟腱受傷而倒下後，他本賽季回到了小馬隊。現在他再次退役，但明年不會成為 NFL 教練。

當小馬隊讓里弗斯復出時，他剛剛完成了高中主教練的一個賽季。他的兒子岡納是一名四星級四分衛，將於秋季進入高四賽季。里弗斯將能夠在槍手高中的最後一個賽季擔任教練，同時為未來的 NFL 角色做準備。

雖然 44 歲的里弗斯成為有史以來最年長的四分衛之一，但他有足夠的時間成為 NFL 主教練。他在阿拉巴馬州的家裡有十個孩子和一個孫子，他認為擔任比爾隊的主教練並不符合他的最佳利益。但內部人士認為他的候選資格是合法的，這使得他有可能在未來登陸布法羅。

誰將成為下一任比爾隊主教練？

奧斯汀·里弗斯就最近圍繞明星前鋒保羅·班切羅的言論向奧蘭多魔術隊球迷發出了警告信息，稱公眾批評可能會對賽季期間的球員產生切實的影響。

里弗斯在最近一集《Off Guard》中與奧斯汀·里弗斯討論了這個話題，指出球隊在沒有明星的比賽中取得成功如何會無意中影響敘事和審查。他強調，球員們都知道網上的談話，長時間的批評會影響信心、精力和場上的表現。

“保羅的事情必須要談一談，兄弟。我是這孩子的忠實粉絲。我愛保羅。我真誠地認為，當一支球隊在沒有最好的球員的情況下取得成功時，它只會導致一些事情。這不是保羅的錯。這發生在最好的球員身上。球迷們需要小心他們如何談論他們的球員。他們認為我們沒有聽到。他們認為我們沒有看到。他們認為我們不會在每場比賽后上推特或Instagram。然後他們當像保羅這樣的球員開始帶著某種能量打球時，他就會變得害羞——就像他不想在那裡一樣。”

23 歲的班切羅曾是年度最佳新秀，曾一度入選全明星，但本賽季他的得分有所下降。在 30 場比賽中，他場均得到 20.9 分，低於上賽季職業生涯最高的 25.9 分，此外還有 8.7 個籃板和 4.9 次助攻。他場均上場 33.7 分鐘，投籃命中率為 45.3%，三分命中率為職業生涯最低的 25.2%。

我同意 @AustinRivers25 在這裡，但公平地說，關於保羅的很多噪音和敘述都來自奧蘭多以外。

內部肯定有批評和質疑，但大多數仇恨是其他粉絲試圖拆散他。 pic.twitter.com/3IAfFbgiVR

— 蘭多 (@TheLando__) 2026 年 1 月 15 日

奧蘭多魔術隊目前戰績為22勝18負，在東部聯盟積分榜上排名第六。作為 NBA 全球系列賽的一部分，魔術隊將與孟菲斯灰熊隊進行兩場國際比賽，週四下午 2:00 在德國柏林的 Prime Video 上進行比賽，隨後周日中午 12:00 在英國倫敦的 Prime Video 上進行一場比賽。

奧斯汀·里弗斯警告魔術隊球迷，因為對保羅·班切羅的審查越來越多

結果的對比引發了當地的討論。奧蘭多本賽季在沒有班切羅的情況下取得了7勝3負的戰績，而當他在陣容中時，奧蘭多的戰績為15勝15負，里弗斯在提到分裂的同時警告不要從短期表現中得出結論。

“這和我認識的保羅·班切羅不一樣。他投出了很多有爭議的強硬兩分球。他在比賽中沒有同樣的波普。你可以看到他很沮喪。他總是看著裁判。他的肢體語言不太好。你能感覺到。這是奧蘭多每個人都在談論的事情。就像，‘伙計，我們需要擺脫保羅。我們需要交易保羅。’”

里弗斯表示，這種反應在球迷言論和場上表現之間形成了反饋循環。

“你們都需要小心這些狗屎，因為球員們看到了它，他們感受到了它。然後一些從來沒有的東西變成了有的東西，我不會把這一切都歸咎於奧蘭多的球迷。保羅也有責任。這不是無法挽回的事情。勝利可以治愈一切。他們連續贏了五場，沒有人對這一切感到驚訝。那天晚上，當他擊中比賽制胜球並將其從玻璃上摔下來時，我沒有聽到那天晚上沒有人談論交易保羅。這確實是一件好事，這意味著你有一支優秀的球隊——但它創造了一些東西，這在奧蘭多無處不在，就像球迷為比賽帶來能量一樣——他們稱球迷為“第六人”，這也可以翻譯成“兄弟”。

里弗斯認為這種情況提醒人們，動力、勝利和耐心往往會重塑敘事，而持續的審視可能會放大 NBA 賽季中暫時的掙扎。