We did a full pre-game this morning and have a Q&A below, so let’s not waste time. The Toronto Raptors need a win. The visiting Milwaukee Bucks need a win. And we all need a weekend free from panic.
The game tips off at 7:30 on Sportsnet One and TSN 1050. You can check out the full game preview here.
—
Normally, we do a back-and-forth with an opposing team’s writer in the pre-game. We weren’t able to do so for 9 a.m., but Mitchell Maurer of BrewHoop hooked it up for this post.
Blake Murphy: I don’t really have a good way to phrase this question, but can you put into words how much fun it is to get to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo night-in, night-out?
Mitchell Maurer: Giannis is the best, period. He plays with such energy and drive that you simply cannot look away from the TV when the game is on, because he can turn any play into a highlight at the drop of a hat. Lately, defenses have cut off driving lanes and forced him to shoot more, which has hampered his effectiveness…but he still finds ways to get to the rim. He’s the Bucks first All Star starter since 1986. We adore him.
Blake Murphy: At 21-24, the Bucks perhaps aren’t quite where they need to be yet, but if they can push for a playoff spot, they seem like a difficult playoff matchup. The addition of Khris Middleton could be huge, too. Is this a team that could make noise in the playoffs, or is it still a year too early, even if they sneak in?
Mitchell Maurer: The Bucks are both a surprise and a disappointment this year. They were supposed to be bad, but after starting off stronger than expected and falling off, everybody who jumped off the bandwagon is now upset that they’re trending downwards again. I’ve long held the view that the first season that will actually matter is 2017-18, but any experience they get now is valuable too. All that said, they play to the level of their opponents, meaning that they will be an entertaining experience for any fans watching them in the playoff, regardless of opponent. They’ll be good enough to be in a place to steal games, but not good enough to seal the deal against playoff-level opponents. They actually match up relatively poorly against Toronto, which is unfortunate!
Blake Murphy: More specifically to the Raptors, the idea of the Bucks being able to throw so much length at traps for Lowry and DeRozan, especially once Middleton is back, is concerning. This is something Jason Kidd did as coach of the Nets against the Raptors a few years back, too, and the Bucks are even longer. Is the aggressive trapping of the pick-and-roll something the Bucks do as a general principle, or is this a wrinkle specific to the Raptors?
Mitchell Maurer: It’s a general principle: Kidd’s defense is high energy, blitzing everything to force the offense to move the ball through their forest of limbs. The weakness, though, is that quick guards are able to exploit these traps if not properly set. Lowry might not be that quick, but DeRozan is. This defense also gives up a ton of threes, which is a huge problem against an offense patient enough to move the ball around to a good spot.
Blake Murphy: Greg Monroe’s role has bounced around some this year, but he seems to have found a comfort zone now as a second-unit scorer. In more broad terms, is this the best use of a slower, offense-first center? Asking for a friend, nothing to do with the Raptors, nope.
Mitchell Maurer: In today’s NBA, it might be the ONLY role that a slower, offense-first center. The game is too fast, there’s too many shooters, and too many good rebounders that play positions that aren’t center. Greg Monroe is great off the bench, because he gets to beat up on less-capable backups and use his underrated passing to find good looks. I think this is a great strategy to use with any big man who can score, but I definitely don’t want any other teams to actually follow it.
Blake Murphy: Trying to pick someone for a fifth question is hard, because the Bucks have so many interesting pieces. Jabari Parker is awesome! Malcolm Brogdon is a veteran already! Super Cool Beas! I guess I’ll go with Parker, since he’s a buzzy name following All-Star selections: Do you feel he was deserving of a spot?
Mitchell Maurer: Worthy of consideration, maybe, but Jabari Parker is not an All Star. He has the offensive profile of a top player, but he’s a bad defensive rebounder and a worse overall defender. Moreover, his offense is remarkably passive relative to his reputation, especially compared to his role at Duke. He’s become a good three-point shooter and can score, but he doesn’t take over games…and we’re not sure why that is.
—
Raptors updates
DeMar DeRozan will miss a third consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle, and there’s no indication when he may be back. He did not require a boot but was limping heavily at practice Monday and didn’t travel Wednesday, so it’s hard to figure if he may play Sunday. The guess here, based only on the upcoming schedule, is that they take it super-cautious and he sits against the Magic, too.
The absence of DeRozan once again means a big role for the suddenly-amazing-again Norman Powell, who’s been terrific in the two game’s DeRozan has missed so far. Terrence Ross’ up-and-down play needs to flip back to “up,” and Cory Joseph needs to continue his upward trend (that occurring on the defensive end would be nice, too). There may be spot minutes for Fred VanVleet, too, although the Bucks’ length might dictate that the Raptors lean on their own length rather than downsizing – I’d be deploying a lot of Ross-Powell looks, as they’ve been really good.
As far as the starting four, well, they’ve started five different power forwards in the last five games, all losses, so your guess is as good as mine. The Raptors list Patrick Patterson by default because he started the last game, while I’m listing Jared Sullinger by default because he started the last half. Opposite Jabari Parker, Patterson is probably the right call, but it could be either, or Lucas Nogueira, or even you! Who knows? Check back at tip-off for an update.
UPDATE: Patterson starts.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: Norman Powell, Terrence Ross
SF: DeMarre Carroll
PF: Patrick Patterson, Jared Sullinger, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jakob Poeltl
TBD: None
ASSIGNED: Delon Wright, Bruno Caboclo
OUT: DeMar DeRozan
Bucks updates
The Bucks are dealing with no injuries other than Khris Middleton, so the only real question is what the center rotation looks like. John Henson went from starter to DNP-CD in favor of Miles Plumlee, and Greg Monroe stands to play a significant role, as he often does against the Raptors. This is, on paper, a good Jonas Valanciunas matchup and Lucas Nogueira’s length could be a major plus. Otherwise, this will look similar to the last two meetings, with Powell in the DeRozan role.
PG: Matthew Dellavedova, Malcolm Brogdon, Jason Terry
SG: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rashad Vaughn
SF: Tony Snell, Michael Beasley, Steve Novak
PF: Jabari Parker, Mirza Teletovic
C: Miles Plumlee, Greg Monroe, John Henson, Thon Maker
ASSIGNED: None
TBD: None
OUT: Khris Middleton
Assorted
- Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo remain with Raptors 905 for a road game in Westchester, and they’ll stay with them for a home game on Saturday. As always, use code REPUBLIC905 if you want to go check it out. Wright was terrific on Wednesday morning, as I wrote about for The Athletic yesterday.
- IMPORTANT UPDATE: BRUNO HAS CORNROWS.
- I got nothing. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
The line
The line was off the board this morning, likely due to the swing that the status of DeRozan was set to cause. The Raptors are still 5.5-point favorites even without one of their All-Stars, up from where it originally opened (Raptors -4). The over-under is at 213. So, hey! Optimism that the streak will end.
What say you? Is this the end of the slide?
