Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will fill in for Doc Rivers in Thursday's showdown between Bucks and Thunder

Assistant Darvin Ham will coach the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night against the host Oklahoma City Thunder while head coach Doc Rivers is away from the team to attend a funeral. The Bucks made the announcement less than two hours before both teams' final game before the All-Star break was scheduled to tip off.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers was not with the team when the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less franchise locked horns with the OKC Thunder on Thursday.

The Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to close out the first half of the season with a win on Thursday night. Rivers and the Bucks have been rolling of late. The former NBA MVP is still dealing with a calf injury and has missed Milwaukee’s last eight games.

Marquette University alumnus and former Milwaukee Bucks player Jae Crowder explained his Doc Rivers tweet: ‘He lost me.’

Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks rode a three game winning streak, but their run came to an end as they dropped a 118 to 99 decision to the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on February 9.

Paul Pierce says Doc Rivers shouldn’t be blamed for his infamous playoff collapses, arguing superstars must win one game out of four.