Will we look back at this game as the point where new offensive schemes started to click?
Whether Toronto’s 130 point clinic against Milwaukee was an anomaly or a sign of things to come, Darko Rajakovic quickly said postgame that this game was far from perfect offensively.
The Raptors came in only averaging 99.5 points over their first four games, despite one of those going to overtime. They were the only team in the league to not reach the 110 point mark. 26 fast break points were a huge catalyst towards a season-high 35 assists but there were some half court gems as well. Specifically O.G. Anunoby forcing a Damian Lillard switch for an easy post up bucket to begin the third quarter.
Enjoy a healthy 20 percent (7) of the Raptors assists below.
Siakam’s numbers have been down across the board but he enjoyed his best game of the season by far with 26 points (on only 13 attempts), including 5-8 from three. He was asked about the Raptors offensive philosophy regarding their ball movement.
Dennis Schroder has been leading the team in assists so far, with over nine a game and 11 in this contest. He now has 46 assists and only eight turnovers this season, nearly a 6:1 ratio! Somewhere, Jose Calderon is smiling at that kind of stat.
Speaking of former Raptor point guards, Schroder now has the most assists through the five games of a season since Kyle Lowry did it in 2018 to begin the championship campaign. Barnes was asked about Schroder’s effectiveness running the team.
Freak Time?
(Yes, this is a proposed nickname that Lillard wants absolutely no part of)
How’s this for a stat?
You can credit Antetokounmpo’s limited production to one familiar O.G. Anunoby.
Giannis was left clueless. Add this clip to O.G’s all defence candidacy this season.
Milwaukee gave up a key defensive piece in Jrue Holiday to assemble a superstar duo in Lillard and Antetokounmpo. They’re still working out the kinks, as the Bucks shot 32 percent in the first half and found themselves down 26 at one point.
The Bucks have been a top-five defence for half a decade, but Barnes had no issue going at Giannis (a former Defensive Player of the Year) in the fourth quarter. Big boy basketball.
Scottie is now on a career-best 20-plus point streak at four. The 20/10/5 average through five games is impressive, but also add in the fact that he’s shooting over 50 percent from the field and 42.9 from three. Barnes went 4-6 from deep in this game, and the Raptors continue a bizarre trend of lighting it up behind the arc every other game.
Up Next: A challenging back to back scenario in Philadelphia today. The Raptors just played the 76ers five days ago.
