The Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t stay perfect for long out of the All-Star break, losing to the Toronto Raptors, 122-94. Despite trailing by three points midway through the third quarter, the Raptors ended the game on a 60-35 run. The Bucks remain in the 11th seed in the East with the loss. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Player Grades
Ryan Rollins
33 minutes, 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 turnovers, 6/17 FG, 4/7 3P, 5/6 FT, -16
Rollins bounced
back after a 2/9 first-half shooting performance, but four of his five turnovers came in the second half.
Grade: C+
Kevin Porter Jr.
31 minutes, 21 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 8/11 FG, 4/6 FT, -16
KPJ was one of two players who finished with more than one assist, and he was an efficient scorer tonight. He also held up well against Brandon Ingram on defense, especially considering the size difference.
Grade: B+
AJ Green
26 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1/6 FG, 1/4 3P, -8
Green has fallen back into a rut. The constant pressure from Toronto made it difficult to get open, and in the rare moments he did, he couldn’t convert.
Grade: D
Kyle Kuzma
19 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1/3 FG, -6
Kuzma rebounded the ball well in the first half and played solid defense on the numerous wings the Raptors employ. He couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end, much like the rest of his teammates.
Grade: C-
Myles Turner
25 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 6/11 FG, 2/7 3P, -5
Thank goodness for Turner in the first half. He scored 11 of his 14 points and helped keep the Bucks afloat. Credit to Toronto’s defense for limiting him to three shot attempts in the second half.
Grade: B+
Bobby Portis
18 minutes, 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3/8 FG, -15
BP never found his rhythm. He stayed engaged on the boards, even with his shot not dropping, but it’s never good to pick up a flagrant foul.
Grade: D+
Cam Thomas
21 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 5/9 FG, 4/4 FT, -18
Thomas excited the fans when he was first introduced at Fiserv Forum. He was limited after his initial eight-point burst, but it was a solid enough home debut for Thomas.
Grade: C
Jericho Sims
24 minutes, 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2/3 FG, -18
The Jericho hype train might be pulling back into the station. He did a decent job on the glass, but so many passes or deflected balls just hit him in the hands, and he couldn’t secure them.
Grade: C-
Ousmane Dieng
14 minutes, 0 points, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 0/4 FG, 0/2 3P, -10
I’m sure it wasn’t the way that Dieng hoped his home debut would go. He never got into a rhythm, sitting out the entire third quarter after playing eight minutes in the first half.
Grade: D+
Doc Rivers
Another game, another presser where Doc says the Bucks couldn’t do what they were supposed to do. It’s become maddening at this point. Doc said they talked about the bigs screening more to alleviate the pressure on the ball handlers, but said Green probably set the most screens. The Raptors are a good defensive team, but when the game plan isn’t working, how can you not correct it in-game?
Grade: D
Limited Minutes: Pete Nance
Garbage Time: Gary Harris, Gary Trent Jr., Andre Jackson Jr., Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Before the game, Doc Rivers offered up some new NBA overtime rules based on watching the United States men’s hockey team beat Canada in overtime 2-1:
“It was really cool to watch, it really was. The way I look at hockey is the three-on-twos and the two-on-ones; it’s just like basketball. I wish we passed like them, it’s really beautiful. But over time, I was sitting there thinking, ‘huh,’ we should start with three-minute overtime four-on-four, then go to double overtime, three-on-three, then to the next one, two-on-two, and the next one, one-on-one. The minute police would have a problem with the one-on-one, because they’d still be playing.”
- The Bucks turned the ball over 17 times, tied for the fourth most they’ve had this season. Doc Rivers said post-game that they got “man-handled”:
“We got man-handled, bottom line. I’ve probably only said that one other time this year. I thought their physicality completely took us out of the game and turned us into one-on-one players. We stopped moving the ball, playing the way we’ve been. When you look at our assist column, and you see all those ones, it tells you all you need to know.”
- AJ Green has his jersey retired at the University of Northern Iowa during the All-Star Break. Green told the assembled media the story of how he learned his no. 4 was going to be put in the rafters:
“My best friend was like, ‘hey man, can I call you later or sometime this week?’ He told me it was going to be over Zoom, and I was like ‘why would we ever Zoom, bro?’ He works at UNI, so as it went along, I’m like, something fishy is going on here, but it was cool. He had organized it, my parents were on the call, [and] all the staff at UNI were on the call to let me know. It was special.”
- Myles Turner sits just two blocks away from 1,500 in his career, with 1,498 after today’s game. He would become the 41st player in NBA history to accomplish that feat.
Up Next
The Bucks will continue their four-game home stand on Tuesday, hosting the Miami Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central time and will be televised on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
