Quick Reaction: Bucks 105, Raptors 92

Just like Lowry we needed Kawhi to assert himself with a little more force. Worked around picks to get plenty of mid-range jumpers, but Middleton cooked him on both sides of the ball for most of the night. Lopez and Giannis each got him a few times at the rim.

It is generally a good sign when Siakam hits a triple, but it is a bad sign that he hit one of only two from the entire team in the first half. Siakam was the most consistent Raptor from start to finish. He scored efficiently, made good reads with the ball (would have had more assists if teammates hit shots), and his defence when switched onto Giannis was a highlight. If not for Siakam the Raptors wouldn’t have been in this game at all.

An A+ is underselling his value on the night. He was elite.

Had a great first quarter working in the pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop, but his shooting went cold in the second half. Ibaka was better on defence with 3 blocks, 2 steals, and being a reliable paint presence in rotation.

Shot was not falling at all, which was sadly a theme for the entire team, but his pick-and-pop/roll game with Ibaka was a reliable staple early on. It was working so well that even Chris Webber managed to notice it. But this was not KLOE, and the Raptors need more from Lowry to compete against the league’s best.

Went to the locker room just 5 minutes into the game due to a stomach virus. Gave it a go to start the third quarter but didn’t look like himself. One good block in transition and made a clear effort to get on the glass, but the energy overall was what you would expect from someone dealing with a stomach virus.

Fred was largely invisible until late in the third quarter when the Raptors made a run. Turnovers, missed shots, and losing shooters. His final stats are generous for his overall performance.

He loves dunking on the Bucks, but the play that stood out to me came midway through the first quarter when Norm ran a pick-and-roll with Ibaka that lead to an easy hook shot for Serge. His slow start to the season seems to be well behind us. Norm is to the Bucks what Gerald Henderson used to be to the Raptors. They bring out the best in him.

Came into the game wearing the biggest suit you can imagine. It was either an effort to enter the 1994 NBA Draft or some type of Tim Duncan tribute (hat-tip to Katie Heindl for the Duncan joke. Follow her at @wtevs on Twitter if you aren’t already).

I don’t really know what to make of Delon tonight. Had very little impact through most of his minutes but was also a key part of the Raptors big end to the third quarter. He can take it to an entirely different level when the team is cooking, but the effort isn’t always there.

I miss the days where OG would go 3-for-5 from long range on a random night. The defence is there. The rebounding has been improved. But for the Raptors to hit their ceiling he will need to start hitting some shots. He missed two wide open triples during a big second quarter stretch from the Bucks and didn’t see any action in the second half. Bad night for OG.

He tied his best scoring game for the Raptors with 2 points.

It took one minute for Nick Nurse to bench Greg. He doesn’t have a place against the Bucks…or most teams.

I miss Jonas. Shout out to him.

He’s not Jerry Stackhouse, but Nick Nurse has got himself some nice suits. Tonight in particularly he looked sharp. You might even say he looked quite dapper. As for basketball it was at best a mixed night. The Raptors worked really hard to create some of the dumbest shots and did not get back in transition and got caught scrambling regularly. The Bucks let it rain.

He called timeouts when needed to try and turn the tide, and he got more fiery than normal, but the team looked ill prepared for the first 2.5 quarters. He deserves some blame for the 24 point deficit, but I suppose credit is also due for the solid finish that led to the near comeback.