The Toronto Raptors travelled to Milwaukee with a spark of momentum after first beating the Golden State Warriors and then last season’s champions, the Boston Celtics. The Bucks took off from the jump with an 8-0 run. Davion Mitchell put the Raptors on the board two and a half minutes into the game, putting a slight chip in the Bucks opening lead.
The Raptors struggled offensively for a long stretch in the first quarter before finding their rhythm, although they never fully closed the gap as they couldn’t contain Milwaukee’s duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even from as early as the first quarter those two along with their key bench players made it seem as if there was no possibility of a comeback.
Antetokounmpo started the run for the Bucks as he began dominating the paint, as he’s wont to do (an Antetokounmpo layup/dunk has been the most efficient at rim shot 5 separate years in the NBA) and drawing fouls. He finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds and was efficient in doing so. The Raptors, who lead the NBA in opponent free throw rate, also had trouble keeping Antetokounmpo off the line, and he marched to the charity stripe for 18 free throw attempts. The other half of the Bucks duo, Lillard, put up 26 points, eight assists, four threes and went 10/10 from the free throw line. The Bucks star duo, by their lonesome, had more free throw attempts (28) than the entire Raptors squad (24).
The Bucks kept their pace throughout the game but truly won because of their dominant first quarter where they went up 37-22. The remaining three quarters were within 2 points or less, but they were always to keep the Raptors at arms reach. Whether it was a breakout, roughshod run from Antetokounmpo to the bucket, or a pull-up triple from Lillard or Khris Middleton, the Bucks always had a run stopping bucket. They also had massive help off the bench with a combined 38 points between Middleton (13), Bobby Portis (15) and former Raptor, Gary Trent Jr (10).
The Raptors were led by the maple mamba, RJ Barrett. He had the team high in scoring, punching in 21 points, and matched Scottie Barnes for the team lead in assists with 10. The Raptors offence was well distributed with six other players reaching double-digit points. Barnes struggled to find his shot throughout the game, missing all of his 3-point attempts (0-6) and a handful of his 2-point jumpers, but that happens sometimes when Antetokounmpo & Brook Lopez are waiting for you in the paint. However, due to his versatility, he impacted the game in every other aspect.
For his part though, Barnes was fairly active on defense — with a lot of minutes across from the Bucks MVP candidate — and he stepped in with some defensive playmaking (two steals and two blocks) to go with the aforementioned assists, many of which came by way of pushing the ball early in transition. For prospective trade value watchers (or veteran appreciators) Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown combined for 27 points and each hit two threes.
For a rebuilding team without Immanuel Quickley and Ochai Agbaji in the lineup, they did a lot better than the score shows. They shot efficiently overall (47%) but struggled from beyond the arc shooting 8/34. Specifically, Barnes and Gradey Dick shot a combined 0/11. Regardless, the team was scoring in a variety of ways from inside the arc. Regarding Dick, the sophomore still seems to be in a slump, but this is the season for him to figure himself out and navigate his role as the team rebuilds and meshes together.
Anyone who watched the game could see that they have the potential to beat contending teams in the future. The stars need to not only be consistent but also healthy if they want to be a threat. It’s another loss for Toronto but that could just mean another win in the future.
The squad’s next game is Tuesday, Jan. 21 against the Orlando Magic back in the cozy confines of Scotiabank Arena.
