THE HIGHEST-PAID NBA COACHES OF 2025

 

NBA CHAMPION COACH MAKES 'AI-GENERATED' ADMISSION ABOUT LUKA DONCIC TRADE

The recent blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks has sent shockwaves through the NBA, leaving fans and analysts alike reeling from its implications.

This monumental deal marks one of the most significant trades in league history, as two franchises believed they could enhance their rosters by swapping superstars.

The Lakers, aiming to secure their future beyond LeBron James, have acquired Doncic, a 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate who led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals just last season. Meanwhile, the Mavericks hope that Davis will bring a new dimension to their team as they look to retool for success.

In the wake of this surprising trade, NBA champion coach and former Coach of the Year Doc Rivers, now head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, expressed his astonishment.

"I thought it was AI-generated," he said in a postgame press conference, as shared by 97.3 The Game. "And then I found out it was real. It's a shocking trade. I don't think I've seen a trade like this in my ever."

Bucks HC Doc Rivers' reaction to the Luka Doncic trade

"I thought it was AI generated" pic.twitter.com/HahQK3oexw

— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) February 2, 2025

His comments highlight the unprecedented nature of this deal, which has left many questioning the motivations behind it. Rivers emphasized that both teams believed they could improve through this swap.

"Two teams thought they could make their teams better-that's what I always say," he added. "Usually one will be right."

As the dust settles on this historic transaction, the ramifications for both teams remain to be seen. The Lakers are betting on Doncic's ability to shine alongside James while ensuring they remain competitive in a league where star power reigns supreme.

Conversely, Dallas is banking on Davis' defensive prowess and experience to lead them into a new era. This trade not only reshapes the rosters but also sets the stage for an exciting second half of the season as both teams adjust to their new realities.

Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.

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GIANNIS ' WINNING PLAYS' PUT BUCKS IN NBA CUP TITLE GAME

 

LAS VEGAS -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and finished an assist shy of a triple-double, but it was his "winning plays" down the stretch that helped will the Milwaukee Bucks to a 110-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday to clinch a spot in the NBA Cup championship game.

Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks, including a spectacular rejection of an alley-oop dunk from Clint Capela at the rim with 2:35 remaining in the game, preserving what was then a five-point Bucks lead. Antetokounmpo also drew praise from his teammates and coaching staff for diving on a loose ball to secure a steal and prevent the ball from going out of bounds with about 6:30 remaining in the fourth.

"Winning plays," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game. "You can't script any of that stuff before the game, but you just got to keep teaching that it just takes what it takes every night."

Milwaukee advances to the championship game on Tuesday night, avenging a loss in last season's semifinals in Las Vegas to the Pacers. The Bucks are 11-1 all time in NBA Cup games and will face the winner of Houston/Oklahoma City.

"I'll do whatever it takes to win a game," Antetokounmpo said after the game. "I'm happy that I did, because I feel like it translated to the whole team. You got to do whatever is necessary to close this one out. I'm just proud of my teammates. The way we started the game, we kind of set the tone that we were here to compete."

Several Bucks players said the team arrived to Las Vegas more focused this season, ready to settle what Antetokounmpo called "unfinished business" from last season, but also to take care of business in an atmosphere that would simulate a playoff game.

"We probably looked a little sharper this time around," said Bucks star Damian Lillard, who added 25 points and seven assists. "This time we came into it remembering our last experience. We came correct. We knew it wasn't going to be easy playing against a good team, but we prepared, and it just felt familiar."

The Hawks actually had the lead heading into the fourth quarter, thanks to a masterful performance from Trae Young, who had 14 points in the third period. But Milwaukee outscored Atlanta 12-3 during clutch time to seal the win. Young finished with 35 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, and although the Hawks were preparing to go home after the loss, Young said he was proud of what the team had accomplished by making a run to the Cup semifinals.

"What we have done in this Cup was really, really special, really good," Young said. "We've really found the way we want to play and figured out the tempo we want to play at.

"It's been good. I feel like this Cup was really good for us. For a young team to go as far as we did, we can really use this as hopefully momentum going into the rest of the season."

Making it to the championship was also an accomplishment for the Bucks, especially considering they started the season with a 2-8 record through their first 10 games. But also Rivers made it clear for weeks that the Bucks were taking aim at the NBA Cup and planned on winning it.

"It's a competition, man, and you want your team to be competitive," Rivers said. "You want them to accept the challenge, that's all I've been talking about.... That's what I'm proud of for our guys.

Even in the aftermath of their victory Saturday, Antetokounmpo offered his team a reminder that they still had one more game to win and take home the championship, invoking another late NBA legend: Kobe Bryant when he said "the job's not finished."

"The only thing that matters right here is to get a win, and that's the message within our team right now," Antetokounmpo said. "Everybody got to stay locked in. Everybody got to stay locked in; the job's not done."

- Jamal Collier, ESPN

CELTICS FINISH OFF SEASON SWEEP OF BUCKS AS RIVALRY RENEWED

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

BOSTON -- For a third straight time this season, the Milwaukee Bucks found themselves in a competitive game with the Boston Celtics.

And, for a third straight time, it was the defending champions who made enough plays down the stretch, this time for a 111-105 victory in front of a raucous sellout crowd at TD Garden that completed a 3-0 sweep of the season series.

"We take that right now we're in the game with them, but we haven't beaten them and we do believe we have a big stretch that we're going to get better," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. "We're going to get a lot better, and they will too a little bit, but we will a lot.

"So, yeah, we hope to play them again in the playoffs in the late rounds, and we'll see how it goes. But right now they're the champs, and until someone beats them, they're the champs."

It would have been easy to mistake this game for one in April or May. There was great intensity on the court and in the stands, and the officials allowed physicality throughout. Despite that, the teams combined for 15 turnovers, and the stars on both sides -- Jayson Tatum (34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jaylen Brown (25 points) for Boston, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 points and 11 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (31 points) for Milwaukee -- all made massive contributions.

The Celtics didn't have Kristaps Porzingis (injury management ahead of a game Saturday here against the Memphis Grizzlies), and Derrick White (1-for-10, 0-for-8 from 3) and Payton Pritchard (scoreless in 24 minutes) had arguably their worst games of the season. Boston also didn't get a single second-chance point (11-0 in favor of Milwaukee).

But it still wasn't enough to tip the scale in the Bucks' favor.

"It wasn't a playoff game, but it was a special night," Tatum said. "This is my eighth year, and these nights where you're playing a team that's really good with some special players, and the crowd is really involved, and guys are making plays and feeding off the energy of your teammates and of the crowd and the fans, the amount of times that we've won games in moments like that.

"It's just another special night at TD Garden that I've been a part of."

If there was any doubt about the night's intensity, it was on display in the third quarter, when Al Horford's wife, Amelia, got up from her front-row seat and exhorted the crowd to cheer louder when Antetokounmpo was at the foul line.

"Yes, no question," Horford immediately said, when asked if it feels different to play the Bucks. "There are certain teams that it just does, and we've been since JT's rookie year, we went to seven against those guys.

"Year after year, both teams have had a lot of success in the East, and it is different, every time we play them, and that's just the reality."

During large portions of Friday's game, it looked as if the Bucks finally might have the upper hand. Boston struggled to get going offensively from deep, missing 15 consecutive 3-pointers from late in the first quarter to early in the third. And Antetokounmpo repeatedly battered his way to the rim, shedding defenders left and right, while Lillard -- despite not getting a few continuation calls he would've wanted -- still had success attacking Boston's defense.

And yet, with 90 seconds to go, Antetokounmpo found himself on the left wing and, when Horford backed off him, decided to step into his first 3-point try of the night. But he missed, and a quick Horford response at the other end gave Boston a four-point lead it never relinquished.

"Coming down, I saw Al Horford backing up," Antetokounmpo said. "I felt like I could make it. Shot it. Went well, in my opinion. S---, if I had the chance to shoot it again, I'd shoot it again. I've made it multiple times, so I'd shoot it again."

Perhaps that chance will come in the playoffs, the next time these teams could meet. The Bucks were 2-8 when they lost to the Celtics in Milwaukee a few weeks ago but have since clawed their way back to .500 by winning nine of the 11 intervening games.

Now, the question is how much more they can continue to improve between now and a potential rematch.

"I'm not going to talk about moral victories and everything, but they're a great team," said Bucks forward Khris Middleton, who came off the bench and had 11 points on 2-for-10 shooting in 23 minutes in his season debut. "We want to get back to where they were last year, and they're trying to get back to where they were last year, also. So it's just about putting our best foot before and trying to be the best team. I'm not worried about anything else, really."

- Tim Bontemps, ESPN

RIVERS WINS NO. 1,099 AS BUCKS TROUNCE HORNETS 120-84 TO SEND CHARLOTTE TO ITS 10TH LOSS

AP Photo

 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Doc Rivers won his 1,099th regular-season game to move into eighth place on the NBA's list, Damian Lillard scored 26 points in his return from a two-game injury absence and the Milwaukee Bucks cruised past short-handed Charlotte 120-84 on Friday night to send the Hornets to their 10th straight loss.

Malik Beasley made seven 3-pointers on nine attempts and finished with 21 points for Milwaukee, which improved to 2-5 under Rivers, who replaced Adrian Griffin. Rivers moved past Larry Brown on the regular-season victories list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 15 points and 15 rebounds in just 24 minutes, and Bobby Portis added 18 points and seven rebounds.

The Bucks led by 28 points at halftime and increased their lead to as many as 42 in the second half.

Lillard missed the previous two games — both losses — with a sprained left ankle but showed no ill effects Friday and said he felt good. He shot 9 of 18 and added eight assists in 29 minutes, but he was most pleased with the way the Bucks played defense.