Doc Rivers’ Bucks squad is at a breaking point in their season. In the 2023/24 season, Rivers was hired to replace Adrian Griffin in the midst of a 30-13 start. Rivers has not met expectations since, and without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team is at an all-time low in Milwaukee. 

 The Bucks sit at 11–17 and have gone 3–12 over their last 15 games. Things won’t get any easier for Rivers and company, with 11 of their next 14 games coming on the road. 

Now, the Bucks have dropped to the 11-seed, only ahead of the Hornets, Nets, Pacers and Wizards.

The injury-riddled Bucks lost to the Raptors in a competitive 105-111 affair at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night. 

Bobby Portis led the team in scoring with 24 points on 9-16 scoring. Only eight players scored for the Bucks, with four of them, Portis, Myles Turner, Ryan Rollins, and Kevin Porter Jr. scoring 17 or more.

“We struggled scoring the entire night,” Rivers said. “We got stagnant tonight and we didn’t make shots either.”

The Bucks shot 45% as a team but their guard partnership of Rollins and Porter Jr. has struggled to develop an efficient offense. Rollins went 7-15 with three turnovers compared to Porter Jr.’s 7-18 with seven turnovers. 

“Our numbers with Scoot and Ryan have not been great together,” Rivers said.

Porter Jr., also known as “Scoot,” has been as tumultuous a player as can be. He’s averaging 19.6 points per game, a career best, while also putting up 3.3 turnovers per game, including six & seven in his last two games.

“He was trying to win the game for us; nothing Scoot does is selfish,” Rivers said. “He was trying to do too much.”

Porter Jr. had a lot of good and bad in Thursday’s loss. His seven turnovers were matched with 13 assists and 22 points.

“When we have guys out, we have no margins of errors,” Rivers said.

Porter Jr. has been an efficient scorer thus far, but leaves a high margin of error for Rivers to correct.

“Not having Kuzma, our size showed on Ingram. Not having Kuzma, or Prince, or any of those guys, that’s who would have been guarding Ingram tonight,” Rivers said. “Instead, we have our guards on him.”

Brandon Ingram led the game in scoring with 29 points on 9-18 shooting. Rivers was forced to use guard depth like Gary Harris to attempt to guard the 6’8’’ wing.

Milwaukee played a fifth straight game without Giannis Antetokounmpo as the nine-time All-NBA selection recovers from a right calf strain. The Bucks were also down Kuzma due to illness.

Toronto was without RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, but former All-Stars Ingram and Scottie Barnes carried the load on offense.

The Bucks look to pick up their first win since December 11th against the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Sunday.