Rapid Recap: Bucks 104, Raptors 99

In a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Toronto Raptors 104-99 at the Air Canada Centre in their second meeting of the season.

In his first matchup against the Raptors, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 19 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, and a block in 37 minutes of play. It wasn’t a signature “Giannis” performance, but he did a great job picking his spots effectively on the offensive end of the floor in a tough matchup. Toronto was throwing the kitchen sink at him defensively, but he was still doing stuff like this.

Malcolm Brogdon hit a few HUGE three-pointers in the 4th to propel the Milwaukee Bucks to victory on Sunday night. The President finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting and was very poised down the stretch. “HAIL TO THE CHIEF!”

Brook Lopez chipped in 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep, and continued to provide a steady dose of offense for the Bucks. His ability to stretch the floor is ridiculous.

It wasn’t a fantastic game for point guard Eric Bledsoe, as he finished with 9 points but he did defend opposing point guard Kyle Lowry very well. When E-Bled only scores 9 points and the Bucks still win, it’s a good sign.

Khris Middleton continued to struggle for the Bucks, as he finished with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, but he did make two key assists in the final minute that led to big Bucks baskets. He’s mired in a bad shooting slump, but he will certainly break out of it. It’s only December.

For the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard finished with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting and the Bucks did a great job of swarming of defensively. They made Kawhi really work for all of his buckets. Fred VanFleet scored 19 points of the Raps bench, and big man Pascal Siakam scored 17 points while blocking 3 shots. He’s a really good player. It was a game to forget for Toronto’s starting point guard, Kyle Lowry. He finished with 0 points. Has that ever happened before?

Stat that Stood Out

15: The Milwaukee Bucks hit 15-of-39 threes (38.5%), and it certainly helped stabilize things for the Bucks, especially when it looked like Toronto was going to make a big run and perhaps take a win away from the Bucks. Never in doubt!