The Milwaukee Bucks won their third straight game and notched a victory for the sixth time in their last seven games with a wire-to-wire 130-112 toppling of the NBA draft lottery-bound Toronto Raptors Friday night at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee (23-17) is now 3-0 on this current homestand, which ends Sunday against Philadelphia, and finds itself one game behind New York in the loss column for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to see more out of his team following a loss to Portland on Jan. 4, saying the team needed to turn it around “right now.” Since then, the team has responded.
“I’m happy that we are doing it,” he said after the Raptors win. “The team have taken the challenge. We have a long – I think around 10, 12 games before the all-star break – we have to take it a game at a time. We have Philly coming in, we have to take care of business. I feel like the team have been taking care of business. We had like this, bad game against the Knicks, but pretty much in the games previous to that and the games after that we ‘ve been taking care of business, so I’m very happy with where the team stands right now. But we cannot let our foot off the gas. We have to keep on going.
“We have some tough ones coming up, so we just gotta stay locked in. We are on pace to do what we said what we want to do. We are on pace. But we just gotta stay humble and locked in.”
For the third consecutive game the Bucks broke out of the gates, going on a 14-3 run to start the game and never really looked back. Toronto trailed by as many as 20 at several points and cut the deficit down to 10 early in the fourth quarter, but the Raptors never really felt like they would threaten to come all the way back.
“It’s important for us every game to start off with a defensive mindset,” Taurean Prince said. “We know that. I think anytime we do that we have a good chance of blowing teams out. It’s all about sustaining it, doing the little things to keep that lead and continue to just demoralize teams.”
BOX SCORE:Bucks 130, Raptors 112
But, to be sure, the Bucks did not begin to sub out their starters until the final minutes of the game.
“We messed around,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. “They cut it to 10. The whole fourth quarter you felt like they could get back in this game if they made one of those shots. Thank goodness they didn’t. That’s something we’ll watch I didn’t particularly love how we played offense in the second half it’s hard to say that when you; even it’s hard to tell a player you shot 52% and you’re not happy. I’m not disappointed, I just think we’re better, we can play even better.”
Five different players reached double figures in scoring for Milwaukee, and the bench scored 44 points. Antetokounmpo (35 points, 12 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (26 points, eight assists) led the Bucks.
Seven different Raptors reached double figures. R.J. Barrett led Toronto with 21.
Toronto dropped to 10-32 after having won two in a row, which included a victory over the Boston Celtics.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard hit an extra gear
The Bucks’ star duo came into the game averaging a combined – and league-best – 56.3 points per game, so seeing them put the ball in the basket at a high rate against the Raptors shouldn’t have come as a surprise. But, the way they started the game was impressive as the Bucks took a 72-57 lead into the break.
The duo scored 40 points in the decisive first half, with Lillard scoring 22 on 5-of-8 shooting (including 4 of 5 from behind the three-point line) and Antetokounmpo scoring 18 on 5-of-9 shooting. Lillard was also 8 for 8 from the free throw line while Antetokounmpo was 8 for 12.
If not for four Antetokounmpo turnovers, perhaps the damage could’ve been more substantial in their opening minutes together.
Antetokounmpo (31.3 points per game) who came into the game trailing Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.6), finished with 35 points while Lillard had 26.
“Our combination and the way we play with one another and the way we lead our team is gonna get deadlier and deadlier and deadlier — which it has,” Antetokounmpo said. “I hope people see that. At the end of the day we’re one of the highest scoring duo in the league.”
He smiled
“You can say what you want to say about it. But we are,” he continued with a laugh. “I’m just happy where we are right now. We just have to stay humble and keep on learning and keep on learning, keep on playing the right way and good things can happen.”
Antetokounmpo also passed Michael Jordan for seventh place all-time for games played with at least 30 points scored on at least 60% shooting with 139. Wilt Chamberlain is sixth with 152. Bucks Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most games with 247.
Bucks live at free throw line
One game after tying a season-high with 35 free throw attempts against Orlando, the Bucks went right back to attacking the paint against Toronto – which was the right move, as the Raptors came into the game giving up a league-worst 26.0 free throw attempts per game.
The Bucks were fouled 28 times and shot 41 free throws, led by Antetokounmpo (18 attempts) and Lillard (10).
The Bucks made the most of those chances, too, making a season-high 33. Their previous best was 26, last done on Oct. 28 at Boston.
“It’s huge,” Lillard said of the rim pressure and free throws. “Like I keep saying, the makeup of our team, we got a lot of shooting out there and when we properly spaced, especially when we’re getting stops and guys are running to the corners and you got a team spread out, the paint is open. And it’s a lot of room for Giannis to attack, it’s a lot of room for me to attack and when the defensive is out of position or they late, or anything like that, it’s going to lead to fouls. Because we’re just hard to deal with. It’s why we’re on team scouting reports the way we are in that anytime you drive that many times there’s gonna be contact and fouls are going to be called for the more aggressive team. I think the last couple games I think we’ve been super aggressive getting in the paint. Our spacing has been great but we’ve playing off the rebound and not taking it out of the net and jumping it in and I think that’s been helping us.”
Seven different Milwaukee players attempted a free throw.
Unlike the game against the Magic, however, when the team attempted an NBA-low 12 three-pointers, the Bucks did shoot threes on Friday night by attempting 31.
Khris Middleton finding a rhythm off bench
When the Bucks last played in Toronto, on Jan. 6, Khris Middleton went from probable to play to out in an afternoon after he did not participate in shootaround — and the team decided he would return to coming off the bench while under a minute restriction following offseason surgeries on both ankles.
After a 2-for-7 performance in 21 minutes in his return to a reserve role on Jan. 8, Middleton has averaged 13.7 points (on 63% shooting), 5.0 assists and 1.7 steals in a mere 22 minutes per game over his last three contests.
“I mean, just staying on the path – trying to stay on the path at least – still have a long way to go like I’ve always been saying,” Middleton said after the win over Orlando on Wednesday night. “But I’m just glad to be out there playing.”
He shook his head when asked if it mattered which combinations of players he was with helped that at all.
“Just gotta be on the court, be on the court and playing — that’s it,” he said. “Simple as that.”
Following the game in Orlando on Jan. 10, Rivers said minutes are guaranteed to anyone in reference to Middleton closing the game against the Magic, but liked the matchup. He played 25 minutes vs. New York and then 21 against Orlando in a blowout.
“He’s started to get his rhythm – more important he’s starting to get his rhythm with that unit,” Rivers said after Wednesday’s game. “And they’re starting to get their rhythm with him. You can see the bonuses of it. he comes in, he gets the ball multiple times now so he can get a rhythm. It’s been really good.”
Against the Raptors, Middleton was once again efficient in 24 minutes, scoring 13 minutes on 4 of 6 shooting. He also handed out five assists, had three rebounds and a steal.
Five numbers
3.9: Seconds left in the first half with his team trailing 69-55 when Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković challenged a foul call on Scottie Barnes drawn by Damian Lillard. After a quick review, Barnes was indeed assessed the foul and Lillard shot three free throws. It was the second time the Raptors fouled Lillard.
5: Starts this season for Bucks guard Ryan Rollins.
19: Games left in which point guard Ryan Rollins can be active after Tuesday’s game. The Bucks have 42 regular-season games remaining. Rollins is currently a two-way player, and players signed to those deals can only be active for 50 games in a season – but head coach Doc Rivers said there is a chance the team makes a roster move to fully guarantee Rollins’ deal for the rest of the season.
51: Combined personal fouls by the two teams.
65: Combined free throws for the Bucks and Raptors.
Is Giannis playing?
Yes. The MVP candidate is available to play despite managing pain in his right knee, which has been present since training camp.
Gary Trent Jr. is back, Andre Jackson Jr. is out for the Bucks
The Bucks will swap shooting guards vs. the Raptors, as Gary Trent Jr. returns from missing three games with a strain in his left hip flexor while Andre Jackson Jr. it out with a rip hip contusion he suffered late in the first half on Wednesday vs. Orlando.
“We good, we back,” Trent said at shootaround when asked about the injury that saw him miss three games. “It’s gonna be a great day. It’s great to be back. Go out there and get a win.”
More:One year later, are the Milwaukee Bucks any better after firing coach Adrian Griffin?
Bucks starting lineup
- Guards: Damian Lillard, Ryan Rollins
- Forwards: Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Center: Brook Lopez
More:Bobby Portis starts campaign to get AJ Green into three-point contest
Bucks injury report
- Andre Jackson Jr., out (right hip contusion)
- MarJon Beauchamp, out (non-COVID illness)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, available (right patella tendinopathy)
- Khris Middleton, available (bilateral ankle surgery management)
- Gary Trent Jr., available (left hip flexor strain)
What channel are the Bucks on?
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Steve Novak and Melanie Ricks on the call.
Bucks vs. Raptors odds, over/under
Milwaukee is an 11.5-point favorite over Toronto, and the over/under is 232.5 points, per BetMGM.
