Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers wasn’t on hand Thursday when his team without Giannis Antetokounmpo took on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The veteran coach took time off to attend the funeral, causing him to miss the team’s final game before the eight-day All-Star break.

In Rivers’ absence, assistant coaches Darwin ham took over coaching duties. The former Los Angeles Lakers coach was outstanding on the road against the defending champions, who lost their two best players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Ham’s game plan worked mostly because of the way the Bucks players performed on the court. Seven players scored in double figures, led by Ousmane Dieng with 19 points. As a result, Milwaukee easily won 110-93, entered the halftime break with two consecutive victories, and ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23 wins and 30 losses.

Dr. Rivers named finalist for Hall of Fame

Doc Rivers nominated for 2026 Naismith Memorial Basketball Award Hall of Fame Honors Wednesday. Rivers, who was named one of the 15 greatest coaches of all time in 2021, reflected on the nomination and shared his true feelings.

“It would be great if it happened,” Rivers said. “I don’t have a lot to say about it. It’s a great thing. I’m underwhelmed in terms of awards and accomplishments. It’s never been about me. I had a lot of coaches and players who helped me get here. The front office people believed in me.

“This is a cool thing. My kids all called me today and they told me, can you at least smile and be happy about something in your life?” one of my kids said. I told them I would.

Rivers ranks sixth on the list of coaches with the most regular-season wins. The veteran tactician helped the team to 1,186 wins in 2,033 games.