The Milwaukee Bucks are spiraling. They've now dropped three straight, and it’s not just the losses-it’s how they’re losing.
The last two games? Blowouts.
The kind that leave fans shaking their heads and wondering where the fight went. Thursday night’s 119-101 loss to the Spurs might not look disastrous at a glance, but dig a little deeper and it’s clear: San Antonio led by as many as 39.
That’s not just a defeat-that’s a dismantling.
At 17-24, the Bucks have officially hit the halfway point of the season, and the warning lights are flashing. This isn’t just a rough patch. It’s a team teetering on the edge of a crisis, and the pressure is mounting.
But if you were hoping for a sense of urgency from head coach Doc Rivers, you didn’t get it after the loss in San Antonio. Instead, Rivers delivered a postgame message that felt oddly detached from the moment.
When asked about the team’s struggles and the pressure that comes with underperforming, Rivers downplayed the concern. “Honestly, our players - guys, we got half the year left. I don’t think people are sitting there looking at the record right now,” he said.
But here’s the thing: people are looking at the record. Fans are looking.
The front office is looking. And with the Bucks sitting seven games under .500 and 2.5 games out of even the last play-in spot, there’s no hiding from it.
Rivers continued: “I think they’re trying to get right, so that’s where it goes. Obviously, you look at it, I don’t even know what we’re out, two games, one game from the play-in - like, it’s a whole half of season left. So I don’t see that [pressure] at all with us.”
That kind of response didn’t sit well with a fanbase that’s already on edge. The Bucks were expected to be in the thick of the postseason hunt-not clinging to mathematical hope of a play-in bid. And while Rivers is technically right-there is time left-the clock is ticking fast.
This isn’t an isolated issue, either. The problems have been stacking up: sloppy turnovers, a lack of rebounding hustle, and poor discipline on defense.
Night after night, the same issues resurface. And while no coach can magically fix a flawed roster, Rivers hasn’t exactly been pushing the right buttons either.
His rotations have drawn scrutiny, with lineups that sometimes feel more like experiments than strategies. And when the team falls flat, there’s little in the way of visible in-game adjustment.
Add to that a recent public disagreement between Rivers and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the tension becomes even more apparent. After a loss to Minnesota earlier in the week-one that saw the Bucks booed off the floor at halftime-Rivers chalked it up to “dead legs” from a tough road stretch.
Giannis didn’t buy that excuse, brushing off fatigue as a factor. That kind of disconnect between coach and star player is never a good sign.
To be fair, not all of this falls on Rivers. This roster isn’t built for a deep playoff run.
The depth is thin, and the chemistry isn’t clicking. But when the team looks this disjointed, the head coach is going to take heat-and right now, it’s boiling over.
Fans have made their frustration loud and clear. Social media lit up after Thursday’s loss, with calls for a coaching change growing louder by the hour. And while online outrage is nothing new, the consistency and intensity of the criticism can’t be ignored.
This team still has time to turn things around. Giannis is still Giannis.
There’s still talent on the roster. But the margin for error is shrinking, and the Bucks are running out of chances to prove they’re more than just a team stuck in neutral.
The second half of the season starts now-and if Milwaukee wants to salvage it, they’ll need more than just hopeful words. They’ll need answers. Fast.