When the Bucks took a 110-100 lead over the Clippers on Monday night, Patrick Beverley and Bobby Portis celebrated like they just won the NBA championship. Their outpouring of emotion was shared by the 17,875 fans present at Fiserv Forum, who also understood the importance of this victory.
Without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the Bucks had just achieved one of their most impressive victories of the season, extending their winning streak to six since the All-Star break. The Doc Rivers-led team has played inspired basketball since the break, banking on the kind of defensive tenacity that was sorely lacking under the previous coaching staff led by Adrian Griffin.
For all the criticism Rivers faced, he flipped the script when it came to his once-struggling Bucks. Since Rivers took over the team on Jan. 29, the Bucks have the fifth-best defensive rating in the league (109.6) and the best (102.6) since the All-Star break.
