The Milwaukee Bucks suffered one of their most disappointing losses of the season on Tuesday night, March 26, when they played the Los Angeles Lakers at home in the Fiserv Forum.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers identified the beginning of their collapse and highlighted one of its main reasons.
"I thought it started in the beginning of the third [quarter]. I just never thought we reached the intensity level that we had for the first half. They got, what, four loose balls, four offensive rebounds in the first few minutes in the third quarter," the 62-year-old tactician said in the post-game interview.
Adding salt to the wound for the Bucks' terrible loss was the absence of star LeBron James from the Lakers lineup due to his ongoing left ankle injury, which has troubled him throughout the season.
Bucks held massive advantage throughout the game
Despite holding a 16-point lead at halftime and extending it to as much as 19 with around eight minutes remaining in the game, their advantage steadily diminished until the game was forced into overtime twice.
Lakers point guard Austin Reaves nailed a three-pointer with 37.8 seconds left to give the purple-and-gold franchise the lead for good.
Ultimately, the home team suffered a 128-124 defeat, with their win-loss record falling to 46-26. Despite the loss, they still hold the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
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