Gameday: Bucks @ Raptors, November 4th
Toronto gets a second chance against the Bucks tonight after losing to them earlier in this young season. Toronto has started to put together some wins, and longer stretches of good play in their recent games, but this matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will be a good litmus test for what this crew can really do and if their recent wins were merely a result of playing against less talented teams. Jakob Poeltl has been upgraded to questionable ahead of tonight’s game, just in time to potentially aid Toronto against Milwaukee’s huge frontcourt tandem.
Bucks Outlook
Record: 5-2 | 3rd in Eastern Conference
Offensive Rating: 119.8 (4th) | Defensive Rating: 114.7 (16th) | Net Rating: +5.1 (8th)
Milwaukee is being led by yet another all-time great season by Antetokounmpo and with Toronto’s current size issues, he will be a headache to contain tonight. Antetokounmpo is averaging 34 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, and 6.8 assists per game with a 70.5 true-shooting percentage. He is also averaging 10.8 free throws per game on top of that. To say Antetokounmpo has been elite this season would be an understatement. Toronto got to experience this first-hand when he dropped 31 points on 78.6 percent shooting in their last matchup, as his ability to get downhill and just muscle his way to the rim proved troublesome for Toronto.
In that last matchup though, the game was still within reach down the stretch, until Toronto allowed Cole Anthony to dance his way to 9 fourth-quarter points and close Toronto out. Backcourt defense has plagued Toronto this year, as well as team defense, but the latter has been improving over the last couple of games.
Rotations seem to be tighter, and more cohesive. This improved team defense will be instrumental if they have any hope of containing Antetokounmpo tonight. If Poeltl does not suit up then it will mean either Collin Murray-Boyles or Scottie Barnes would have to take on the matchup, without much size on the back end to help, which can be dangerous against Antetokounmpo. Murray-Boyles has shown that he can be an imposing presence defensively so far, but this is a task that he will undoubtedly require help with, Barnes as well.
Raptors Outlook
Record: 3-4 | 8th in Eastern Conference
Offensive Rating: 115.8 (13th) | Defensive Rating: 117.1 (25th) | Net Rating: -1.3 (20th)
Although Milwaukee’s backcourt players such as Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony are coming along this season, these are not players that should be torching Toronto if they claim to be a defensively-focused team. Giving up a large scoring night to Antetokounmpo is understandable, but there is no one else on this roster that should give Toronto a headache.
Offensively, the trio of RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Barnes has been excellent, with all of them giving you north of 20 points per game. They have been playing together extremely well, with Ingram being the on-ball scoring dynamo, Barnes being the hard-hat and lunch pail play finisher, and Barrett just fitting in all over the floor. Immanuel Quickley has not played well so far this season, averaging just 12 points with a 51.6 true-shooting percentage. He’s also shooting 27.8 percent from three. An uptick in Quickley’s level of play would take Toronto offense to the next level, and against this backcourt in Milwaukee, Quickley will have ample opportunity to attack them.
Milwaukee plays much bigger than Toronto currently, which will help them on the glass, but also hinder them in transition, which Toronto is frequently in, ranking third in transition frequency so far in the young season. WIth Milwaukee having a middling defense, with plenty of defenders to attack, as well as a big lineup that won’t be adept in transition defense, Toronto will have no problem generating the looks that they want, the question is just can they contain Antetokounmpo, while also not letting Milwaukee’s backcourt have their way with them again.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: TSN
Venue: Scotiabank Arena
Starting Lineups (Projected)
Milwaukee Bucks
PG: Ryan Rollins
SG: AJ Green
SF: Gary Trent Jr.
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Myles Turner
Toronto Raptors
PG: Immanuel Quickley
SG: RJ Barrett
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Collin Murray-Boyles
Injury Report
Toronto Raptors
Jakob Poeltl (Back) – Questionable
Milwaukee Bucks
Kevin Porter Jr. (Knee) – Out
Lines
| Team | Spread | Money | Total |
| Milwaukee Bucks | -4.5 (-110) | +150 | O 237.5 (-115) |
| Toronto Raptors | +4.5 (-110) | -185 | U 237.5 (-105) |
Odds as of November 4th
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