Milwaukee nearly stole this one
With Giannis Antetokounmpo a late DNP-rest, the Milwaukee Bucks delivered what can only be described as a rather ugly shooting performance in their loss to the Toronto Raptors, 93-97. The eight-game win streak was snapped as the Bucks just couldn’t get the shots to fall down the stretch, shooting 37.6% overall. Despite maintaining contact for much of the game, and nipping at the Raptors heels in the fourth, there just wasn’t enough, or really any, help around Jrue Holiday, who dumped in a season-high 26 points.
Jrue Holiday dominated the early going of this game for the Bucks, commanding much of the offense while guiding the team to a 23-26 score after one. By half, Milwaukee mustered up enough offense to trail only 40-48, despite an abysmal 33.3% shooting (including 3-17 from deep) while the Raptors shot 36% from long range and were winning the points off turnover battle. The Bucks seemed in danger of letting go of the rope late in the third, but five straight Middleton points helped bring Milwaukee within five, 68-73, by the close of the third. In the fourth, Bucks fans were greeted to a disturbingly familiar sight, as Fred VanVleet (26 second half points) ultImately put the game away despite the Bucks having a chance to take the lead late on a missed Connaughton corner triple.
Stat That Stood Out
It’s not often you see two teams each post dominating offensive rebounding numbers, but that’s precisely what we got in this one. The Raptors are one of the best OREB% teams in the league, and it wasn’t much of a surprise to see the problems of early-season Bucks arise here without Giannis, giving up a 37.7 OREB%. Meanwhile, the Bucks, despite missing their best rebounder, were able to dominate the glass themselves against a tall, but not butch, Raptors squad, with a 38.2 OREB% of their own. Makes ya wonder what it could’ve been had DeMarcus Cousins or Giannis been active, but regardless, the Bucks inability to control the glass on their end gave the Raptors extra chances this team could ill-afford when the whole team didn’t have their shot calibrated correctly. Fitting the game should essentially end with a Raptors offensive board.
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