The Milwaukee Bucks are facing uncertainty. Without superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo heading into tonight’s game, the team is looking for a solid win against a shorthanded but tough Oklahoma City Thunder team. However, the team now faces another absence: head coach Doc Rivers will not be on the sideline tonight.

According to reports released just a few hours before tonight’s game, Rivers will miss the contest due to personal reasons, as he is attending a funeral. The Bucks have promoted leading assistant Darvin Ham as the interim head coach tonight, and he will call the shots as the team hopes to take a game against the the best team in the league.

As many fans might know, Ham is hardly an unfamiliar face for the Bucks, serving as a key assistant on the coaching staff from 2018 to 2022, helping deliver a championship in 2021. He’s also the only one on the staff who has NBA head coaching experience, serving as the leader of a Los Angeles Lakers team that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

Ham has made it to the Conference Finals four times in his coaching career over his years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers (2011-2013) and the Atlanta Hawks (2013-2018) before his stops in Milwaukee and head coaching gig with the Lakers.

Ham began this most recent tenure with the Bucks after being hired by Rivers in the 2024 offseason to revamp his coaching staff after Rivers’ midseason hiring during the 2023-24 season. Now, he faces a tougher challenge than he usually does.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

No Doc Rivers or Giannis Antetokounmpo as Bucks Rely on Depth Against Thunder

The final meeting of the season between the Milwaukee Bucks and the OKC Thunder is going to look a lot different than the first one, especially with both teams missing their superstars. Tonight, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 40 points on that late January night, sat for his fifth straight game following an abdominal strain, while Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his ninth matchup following a calf strain diagnosis.

Despite the absences, both teams have found ways to steady themselves. The Thunder have won back-to-back games, including a 136-109 win over the Phoenix Suns on the road, while the Bucks have won four of their last five, most recently beating the Orlando Magic 116-108 yesterday.

Role players and new additions have been at the heart of the step up for both teams. Ousmane Dieng, who returns to OKC after being traded at the deadline, went off for a season-high 17 points in his second game for the Bucks, joining Cam Thomas, who put up 34 off the bench and was praised by Doc Rivers.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have integrated sophomore guard Jared McCain successfully into their rotation while dealing with multiple injuries to key players, with coach Mark Daigneault noting how his fit with OKC being as seamless as it could it have been.