The Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t extend their win streak to a season high of four games, dropping their third game of the season to the Toronto Raptors. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. each had 21 points, with the latter adding 10 assists for a double-double. Immanuel Quickley led all players with 32 points and nine assists on 11/19 shooting.
Game Recap
KPJ was aggressive right from the start. Mixed in with an AJ Green three and a floater from Myles Turner, he scored six for himself, helping the Bucks
get out to an early three-point lead. Cam Thomas made an immediate impact in his first home appearance with Milwaukee: he scored eight of their next 10 points, and they maintained a lead throughout the entire first quarter. KPJ’s late three put them up by eight, but old friend Sandro Mamukelashvili hit a buzzer-beating three, cutting it down to 27-22 heading into the second.
Thanks to Immanuel Quickley, it didn’t last long for the Bucks. After scoring just two points in the first, Quickley went off for the first 12 points for the Raptors, trimming it down to just one. Toronto got their first lead of the game thanks to a Ja’Kobe Walter three-pointer, which prompted Doc Rivers to call a timeout. The Raptors ran it up to 11 thanks to their stifling defense, holding the Bucks to 5/16 from beyond the arc. A pair of free throws from Ryan Rollins cut the deficit back within single digits heading into the locker room, 60-51.
After going 2/9 for nine points in the first half, Rollins found a rhythm in the opening minutes of the third. He engineered a 7-0 run for the Bucks, scoring five himself, to bring them back within three of the Raptors. Toronto responded in kind, scoring eight straight out of the timeout to go back up by double digits. After scoring 13 in the first half, Ingram added another eight, bumping the Raptors advantage to 18 points. The deficit reached 20 points after a couple of free throws from Gradey Dick. Rollins and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles traded baskets in the final minute of the frame, with Toronto up 92-73.
Toronto continued to pour it on, outsourcing Milwaukee 12-6 within the first four minutes. The game continued to spiral out of control for the Bucks, as they fell behind by as many as 27. Doc waved the proverbial white flag with 6:33 left, subbing the likes of Andre Jackson Jr. and Gary Harris to finish this one out. The fans got one last thing to cheer about, as Thanasis Antetokounmpo completed an and-one layup before it was all said and done.
Stat That Stood Out
Coming into today’s game, the Bucks ranked second in the league in three-point percentage at 39.2%. Against a tough Raptors defense, they had one of their worst performances, going 9/32 (28.1%) from downtown. It’s the second-fewest threes they’ve made in a game all season long, after making eight against the Brooklyn Nets on December 14.
