Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers voiced clear frustration with officiating after a controversial sequence involving Luka Doncic in a lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rivers questioned why defenders are not given more room to contest shots after Doncic drew contact on a play the Bucks believed should have been ruled an offensive foul.
Rivers said he disagreed with the decision. He added that the explanation he received about a natural shooting motion did not make sense to him. He felt Doncic initiated the contact by kicking his foot forward. Rivers joked that with the way rules are being interpreted, he could have averaged eight points per game during his own playing career.
" I thought the contact was Luka's foot kicking out. If you can't challenge a shot and it's your natural rhythm to kick out, I don't know how you guard anybody. I could of have scored 8 points a game with these rules… 10 points.”
– Doc Rivers
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 16, 2025
The loss capped a difficult stretch for Milwaukee. The Bucks played five games in eight days and fell to 8 and 6 after the Lakers built a 31-point halftime lead behind another dominant performance from Doncic. He finished with 41 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his strong start with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists as he nears a historic mark for the most thirty ten and five games in league history.
The Bucks aren't accepting fatigue as an excuse
However, Antetokounmpo pushed back on the idea that fatigue contributed to the loss. He said every team deals with the same scheduling challenges and insisted the Bucks had to prepare better for back-to-back games. He also noted that the Lakers were playing under similar circumstances.
Milwaukee continues to search for stability in its rotation. Rivers recently moved Kyle Kuzma into the starting lineup in an effort to bolster scoring on the wing. Kuzma delivered a season-high 29 points in a win over Charlotte, but followed it with a one-point outing against the Lakers. His inconsistency and continued struggles from deep have kept pressure on the Bucks as they deal with injuries and a thin group of reserve forwards.
Rivers acknowledged that Kuzma had been more effective in a bench role last season. However, he said the team may need to remain flexible with its lineups based on matchups. With a challenging slate of Eastern Conference contenders ahead, the Bucks will need steadier performances to regain momentum in a crowded early-season race.
