Raptors drop one on the road to the Bucks 112-130

A 4th-quarter push wasn’t enough for the Raptors to overcome Milwaukee

The Toronto Raptors headed to Milwaukee for their third and final matchup of the season. After dropping their first two contests against the Bucks, redemption was on the table, but hope that they could continue with the hard-nosed defence that led them to consecutive victories over Golden State and Boston recently dissipated quickly. Milwaukee scored the first points and built a significant lead early that never wavered, cruising to a dominant 130-112 victory, sweeping the Raptors in their season series.

Milwaukee’s championship hopes are still alive despite their lower-than-expected record as they still try to get their core healthy, in peak condition in time for the playoffs. The tandem of Giannis and Dame dominated tonight, with the combination of force in the paint and shooting creating a constant challenge for defensive coverages. Giannis finished with 35 points and 12 rebounds, and Dame had 26 points and 8 assists. The benefit of the whistle helped too, with the Bucks taking 41 free throws, finding themselves in the bonus in the first three quarters with over 4 minutes to play each time.

Toronto poured their hearts into the last two wins, but came out a bit flat in this matchup by comparison. They struggled from long range, not unlike the last time they met the Bucks. Scottie was able to help as a facilitator, with 10 dimes, but not a scorer, with just 10 points on 4 for 16 shooting. RJ led the team with 21 points and 10 assists, supported by the bench with Olynyk (14-4) and Brown (17-6) chipping in.

Despite the momentum coming into tonight, the Raptors got out to a slow start. The Bucks were able to draw fouls early and force turnovers, leading to extra possessions that allowed them to build a 14-3 lead. Giannis and Dame were virtually unstoppable, scoring 11 and 12 points in the first, respectively. On top of struggling to contain the Bucks’ offence, the Raptors weren’t able to generate their own. After some solid 3-point shooting over the last couple of games, they struggled early, going 1 for 6 from beyond the arc. Scottie was no exception, despite how his midrange game has been improving in quality and versatility over the last little while, he seemed to have difficulty finding his shot tonight.

Communication lines were still down in the second. The Raptors had a couple nice setups and shots, but couldn’t get any rhythm. More turnovers and missed shots seemed to compound to create a deficit of over 20 points. Scottie continued to struggle, and despite spending most of the quarter on the floor, he wasn’t able to score at all, now 1 for 11 from the field. He helped get some of the other Raptors going, with RJ and Bruce contributing the majority of the scoring, but every time the Raptors were able to find the bottom of the hoop, the Bucks answered right back. They weren’t ready to give in though, and a few tough shots, like this tough and-one by Gradey helped give the Raptors a bit of a spark:

Coming out of the locker room, the defensive intensity started to pick up for the Raptors, seemingly determined to work their way back into the game. Olynyk injected some veteran savvy, helping to space the floor and provide additional passing. His presence was an immediate help, allowing them to get organized and start to claw back into contention. Cashing in 10 points in the quarter, including this bucket off the dime from Gradey in transition:

To start the fourth, a 10-0 run helped them diminish the lead to only 10. Milwaukee answered back though, with Dame’s shiftiness and ability to draw fouls continuing to prop them up, even without Giannis on the floor. Davion was able to draw a couple of crafty fouls off a screen from Brook Lopez, but the Raptors weren’t able to convert the extra possessions. Toronto tried to make something happen, but even with second and third chances on some possessions, their shots couldn’t drop. Without shots falling, and seconds ticking off the clock, the window closed with the Bucks’ lead intact.

Hopefully they can bounce back from this one quickly with their recent wins still fresh in their mind. Next, the Raptors will return home to host Orlando on Tuesday at 7:30 pm on TSN.