Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

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Raptors Take 3-2 Series Lead Over Bucks With Game 5 Victory

Raptors 118, Bucks 93 | Box Score| Quick Reaction| Quick Reaction Podcast   The Raptors had a huge win in game four on the road, tying the series up in a must win game. Going back home for game five, the Raptors were still in control of home court advantage for the rest of the…

Raptors 118, Bucks 93 | Box Score| Quick Reaction| Quick Reaction Podcast

 

The Raptors had a huge win in game four on the road, tying the series up in a must win game. Going back home for game five, the Raptors were still in control of home court advantage for the rest of the series. Playing in front of an energetic Air Canada Centre, the Raptors propelled themselves for the series first back-to-back win by any team, taking the series 3-2 lead, heading back onto the road Thursday. Game four was important, game five was just as important.

The adjustments the Raptors made between games was huge, and they stuck to their game plan in game five, inserting Norman Powell in the starting lineup for Jonas Valanciunas. I wrote about the Raptors new rotations yesterday in an article you can read here, the new look starting lineup got the job done again. Each member of the starting unit had great games, Ibaka’s great defense at the rim, tenacious dunks in the pick and roll, and productive scoring all game provided the Raptors some much needed stability on both ends. DeMarre Carroll also had his best game of the playoffs thus far, helping the Raptors take an early lead in the first quarter. Carroll has taken a lot of slack in this series for his struggles with his shot and on the defensive end, but he came up big in the first quarter. With some stellar defense, a great tip-in layup, and some tough jumpers, hopefully this game is what gets Carroll back on track. Overall in the game, the starting unit played 17:32 together, to an amazing +18.

The All-Star backcourt played a huge role throughout the game, Lowry was a team high +29, finishing with 16 points on 4/9 shooting from the field, and 10 assists. Lowry entered the game with a sore back, other than the first few minutes, it didn’t seem to bother him at all. DeMar DeRozan didn’t have a huge scoring game but was very efficient from the field, finishing the game 7/14 with 18 points, and even added 6 assists. DeRozan did a great job at recognizing traps, and helped start a lot of the Raptors great ball movement which kept the Bucks defense on their toes.

And then there was Norman Powell. After a huge game four, Powell was the player of the game for game five. Finishing the game with a team-high 25 points, on 8/11 shooting (4/4 from three), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Powell was unbelievable on the defensive end, had some great passing out of the pick and roll, and gave the Raptors amazing energy with clutch shots and some massive throw downs. Powell has been huge in these back-to-back wins, for a second-year player who doesn’t get the most consistent playing time, he looks incredibly poised, making sound decisions as a primary ball handler.

This was an incredible team win, everyone on the bench contributed in key ways, showing off some of the great depth the Raptors have on the roster. P.J. Tucker hasn’t had his shot going as of recently, but the defense he provides on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton has been vital to the Raptors defensive efforts. The Raptors can probably get away with one of Middleton or Antetokounmpo having a big scoring night, but both having a huge scoring game could spell trouble. Antetokounmpo had another jaw-dropping performance, scoring 30 points, on 12/19 shooting, with 9 rebounds. Middleton didn’t have his best scoring night, finishing with 8 points, on 3/8 shooting. Tucker continues to find around 25 minutes per night off the bench, getting called upon to stop the Bucks main scorers one-on-one, and last night he added that defensive spark again.

With so many great performances off the bench, one player in particular who stood out was Valanciunas. A move to the bench could be seen as a demotion, but since coming off the bench in the past two games, Valanciunas has stepped up in a big way in his new role. Scoring 8 points on 3/5 shooting, getting seven rebounds, and more importantly shutting down Greg Monroe. Valanciunas played some tough defense at the rim on Monroe who struggled all game, did a great job at denying him deep post position limiting his post ups. The Raptors really struggled containing Monroe’s scoring off the bench in the first three games, last night Valanciunas’ minutes were almost exclusive tied with matching up with Monroe. In game five, Valanciunas got the best of the big man matchup.

One of the main keys to victory, was the Raptors had their best start in a first quarter this series. The early lead they grabbed never let up, finishing off with the 118-93 win. This was a team victory, great performances from top to bottom, and excellent execution on both sides of the floor. The offensive onslaught was something we hadn’t seen much of this postseason. The Raptors did a great job securing rebounds all game, getting the work done on the defensive glass was a struggle for the Raptors in the game four win, allowing 13 offensive rebounds to the Bucks. The Raptors controlled the pace, forcing the Bucks into their half court sets, getting in better position for rebounds. The Raptors turned those 13 offensive rebounds into two, limiting the Bucks to zero second chance points.

The Raptors finished the game with 28 assists, which they only surpassed once in the regular season this year. The Raptors backcourt players are recognizing traps much better, when to pass out, and when to attack. When the pass is there, the quick recognition is slowing the Bucks down from rotating back to their defensive set. The unselfishness lead to a lot of open threes (12/27 44.4%), and easy drive and kick opportunities.

This was a very encouraging win for the Raptors, the individuals players, and team as a whole are starting to look like the team we watched play in the regular season. Games like that are what make playoff basketball so much fun, each possession has major stakes, and every big play can swing the crowd/energy in major ways. This series has been tough, Antetokounmpo is the kind of player who I lose sleep over, thinking about his 747 like wingspan swinging to the rim for dunk after dunk. Although it’s been tough, Raptors performances like this make you believe in this teams potential. Game six will be another great test, if the Raptors repeat their game five performance they will put themselves in great position to take this series.

 

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