Doc Rivers’ name get dragged again on Friday after the Milwaukee Bucks‘ narrow victory over the Charlotte Hornets. They won it through a drawn up play in the last 10 seconds that led to Kevin Porter Jr.’s easy alley oop to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Doc is not getting credit for it because immediate clip showed it was the Greek Freak who orchestrated it.
The Bucks are playing desperate. Before the Hornets win, they lost a winnable one against the Washington Wizards.
Some Bucks fans thought their trouble can only be fixed if they are going to change who’s helming their defensive and offensive scheme.
Giannis and KPJ executed last night’s game winner…
EXACTLY how Giannis drew it up 🤯 https://t.co/X1l6zKsGLd pic.twitter.com/Vh1ryXcIfR
— NBA (@NBA) January 3, 2026
They got back to winning but it does not help Rivers’ case as Antetokounmpo had to overrule his call to get the victory. Antetokounmpo went back to the time they won against the Hornets in overtime. He said he recalled how he was defended by them and so, he had to use his learning from that game.
“I’ve been in this situation before — I think, like, a month and a half ago,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game.
“When I was (at) the elbow, playing ISO for the game against Miles Bridges, and I shot a shot. And then, when I shot it, I looked on my left; there was a guy in the corner, and I thought to myself, ‘Why didn’t I go (dribble handoff) and just let the play develop?’ Long story short, that game we won in overtime.”
Giannis passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson (157) for the most 30/10/5 games in NBA history 👑 pic.twitter.com/ahQq1PnsdI
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) January 3, 2026
KPJ explains Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brilliance on coach’s board
KPJ confirmed that Rivers had a drawn up play but the Greek Freak thought of improving it.
“Doc was drawing something up, and Giannis had a feeling they were switching a lot, so he gave us that play, basically, and we executed it,” said Porter.
He also detailed how he read Bridges.
“It was just a two-man (action), and I was just reading Miles. If he came up, I was gonna throw the lob. If he didn’t, then I was going to try to finish myself. He came up, and Giannis got behind him. You know what to do after that. Just toss it up and Giannis finish the play off, which he did.”
The Bucks could use more of these wins, convincing ones at that, to be able to save Rivers’ job. They are currently 15-20 and are outside of the play-in spot.
For the latest Basketball Content
Make sure you are always updated on your favorite basketball players and teams. Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for the latest and trending news about NBA, college basketball, and more. Stay updated by reading more of our NBA articles by clicking here and college basketball by clicking here!
