Coach Jason Kidd returned to the sideline Tuesday night for the first time since undergoing right hip surgery last month when the Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Orlando Magic.
The Bucks went 8-9 in Kidd’s absence. The surgery was Dec. 21 in New York and assistant coach Joe Prunty served as interim head coach beginning Dec. 23.
“It’s exciting to be back,” Kidd said before the game. “I’m trying to put guys in position to be successful. I’m trying to get guys better, and at the end of the day we all want to try and find a way to win.”
Kidd said he wanted to see more excitement and emotion from his players.
“Helping each other out is sometimes that young teams sometimes struggle with,” he said. “They are going through the process of learning that if you foul out you can always cheer for your teammates. Hey, you did your best. Hopefully your teammate can pick you up.”
The game also marked the first return to the BMO Harris Bradley Center for Scott Skiles since he coached the Bucks from 2008-2013. He led Milwaukee to the playoffs in the 2009-2010 season.
The team was 162-182 under Skiles.
“I enjoyed my time in Milwaukee but I feel like we failed,” the Orlando coach said. “We didn’t win enough.”
