"Wanted to take him out": Doc Rivers blames injury for Giannis Antetokounmpo's off night in embarrassing loss to Memphis

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks suffered another embarrassing loss on Wednesday night. The Bucks lost to a very short-handed and injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies team a day after a disappointing defeat to the Washington Wizards.

Analyzing the defeat postgame, Doc Rivers, who dropped to 15-15 since taking charge of the Bucks, said that he should have taken out Antetokounmpo when he had the chance. An injury clearly hampered the two-time MVP, who shot 10-for-23.

"I thought Giannis did everything he could," Rivers said. "Honestly, and I'm not kidding, there were times in the beginning of the third. I talked to Scott (Faust) three different times.

"I wanted to take him out of the game. I thought he was running on fumes. As a coach, you gotta make a judgment call sometimes and medical makes the call more."

"They kept saying he was OK, but I have eyes. And I just didn't like the way he was moving and that was why I took him out the one time early (in the third quarter). He kept asking to go back in and trainers said he was fine, so we kind of stuck there. But I wish I would have just said no, honestly."

Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealing with left hamstring tendinopathy but continued to play through it. Antetokounmpo was in pain for most of the game, and some fans thought that he should have rested.

However, "The Greek Freak" thought that he needed to play despite the injury because it's better in the long run. He was playing through adversity, and it could toughen him up for a potential championship run.

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What's next for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks?

Giannis Antetokounmpo will get a day's rest before the Milwaukee Bucks are back in action on Friday.

The Bucks continue their five-game homestand by welcoming the lowly Toronto Raptors who have lost 15 games in a row. They also face the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic.

It's an important stretch for Giannis and the Bucks with six games left on their schedule. They would want to secure the No. 2 spot behind the Celtics and ahead of teams like the Cavs and Magic. They need all the momentum they can get heading into the playoffs.

Doc Rivers' poor record since taking over the Bucks could be a bad omen for fans. However, Rivers still has the pedigree to lead Milwaukee, and it helps that he has players like Giannis, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton on his roster.

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