Forceful rebounding and packed paint stifled scoring opportunities. Mosley dissects the Bucks' physical dominance and timely adjustments that proved insurmountable.
On the reasons the team came up short tonight:
"You got to give Milwaukee a ton of credit for the way they came out and played. They set the tone physically in a lot of ways for the game. Us being able to withstand that physical hits and the offensive rebounds, it was the timely things in those situations within this game. But having to go back and look at the film and see exactly what they did. Again, give them a ton of credit for how they came out. It's hard to beat a team twice, especially when they make that type of adjustment. They went big again and we got to continue to be better and grow from this and learn from this."
On the defensive performance:
"For the most part, that third quarter we gave up 36, second quarter 32. I think the offensive rebounds was a big portion of it, and they were timely more than anything. There was a time we were in the bonus and we fouled twice, got them on the free throw line to give them the advantage, those are possessions that you can't get back. Us understanding the bonus time, putting guys on the free throw line at the wrong time, and then us valuing the ball on the other end."
On what Milwaukee did to keep the team out of the paint and limit scoring in the lane:
"We just got to finish. A lot of times you just got to finish down there. They did a great job of packing the paint, shrinking the floor. We made the right play for guys in the kickout shots and Dez hits eight of them. We get some great looks at it. You got to knock those down. But again, our ability to finish at that rim is going to be key and important as teams continue to either pack the paint or they give you the lane to get downhill."
On Paolo Banchero's performance tonight:
"He's seeing a crowd every time he touches the paint, touches the basketball. We get the switch on the block out of the timeout. He makes the right play, gives Desmond the knockdown three. I think his aggression getting to the basket was what we needed it to be. Those things for him are just continue to be huge. Just being aggressive, getting downhill. He creates such a problem when he's on the floor for guys loading up to him and seeing bodies the entire night. That's how that paint ends up packed in because their bodies watching him all night long."
On how Milwaukee adjusted defensively to Desmond Bane after his early scoring:
"They went to a top lock, trying not to get him easy catches and easy touches. That's why it was easy to go off of pick and rolls with P, get him the touches. So then they double team. You put him in rotation, being able to find the easy pass to get him open as they left him at times. But again, you got to give that group, the Bucks a ton of credit and Doc what he's done with guys being in and out. That was a great job by them tonight."
On Jalen Suggs' impact as a distributor in three of the last four games:
"That's what we're going to need him to continue to do. Be that facilitator, that playmaker, getting guys involved. Defensively, what we've asked him to do, turning up the heat, disrupting guards. But again, his ability to get teammates open, his speed, his vision, those are going to be very important for us as we continue down the stretch."
On considering Goga Bitadze or Jonathan Isaac more throughout the night against Milwaukee's size:
"You look at a lot of things within this game. There's options that you can look at, but our pace in the past couple games with having the one big out there has been the advantage. That was the advantage in the last game and it was the advantage early on in this game right now, but our ability to finish in transition after you get the stops has got to be key for us."
On what Goga Bitadze needs to do to get back into the rotation after the All-Star break with the busy March schedule:
"Our March is looking very busy. We got to come out and we have basically 17 games in 31 days. We got three, four back-to-backs. So guys are going to stay ready. Those guys aren't going to play 48 minutes a night. We've got to understand that whoever's number is called when it's called, they've got to be ready. And I know those guys have always kept themselves ready, and they will be on the back end."
On Franz Wagner's performance in his 20 minutes tonight:
"For a guy that's coming back off of injury, missing so many games and trying to find that rhythm. I think that's a big key of what we're going to continue to see. The break is good for all of us to be able to reset, get our minds in the right space and then get our physical bodies right. I think that's a big key for this group as well."
On what he wants the team to do over the All-Star break:
"Obviously stay keep their get their bodies right the rest that's needed for a couple days and then make sure you're getting your conditioning in. Make sure you're getting some shots up just moving a little bit. But again be ready for that the back end of the season that turns into a basically a sprint and just understand we just got three out of four games we would have loved to get tonight but our ability to sit down, reset, rest our bodies, rest our minds and then come out ready to go on the back end of it."
On optimism for the team with pieces like Franz Wagner still working back and the potential when everything clicks:
"I'm extremely hopeful. I believe this team can do great things and we will do great things. Finding that rhythm within the team as we have a couple practices after the break, but it's going to come down to rest. Having these guys for basically this is the second game out of 400 and something that they've those three have been together. So it's going to take a little bit of time and obviously the back end is going to happen quick. So it's got to be in practices. It's got to be in film. It's got to be our communication. It's got to be us working together to make sure that we understand exactly what's needed on the back end."