Raptors win, but let Bucks loiter for too long
Even though the Raptors maintained the lead for most of the game (the Bucks briefly had a one-point lead in the first half and a two-point lead at the start of the second half), their lead and victory never felt convincing enough. It felt more like damage control as they defeated the Bucks, 111-105.
The Raptors are still figuring out who they are, but it certainly knows who it is not. The Raptors have a zero-tolerance policy against losing to a team that was blown out by the lowly Brooklyn Nets by 45 points.
As Jack Armstrong referred to on the broadcast, the Raptors let the Bucks hang around too long. To stretch that simple expression, the Raptors allowed the Bucks to loiter around too long and nearly allowed the misfits to smash the Raptors’ freshly cleaned windows, earned from their victory against Miami.
Part of the Bucks’ loitering was entirely self-inflicted. The Raptors gave up 16 turnovers, which resulted in 19 Bucks points (the Bucks had 16 as well and Toronto had 12 points off turnovers).
In this game, if Barnes, BI, and Mamu were tough-on-crime policy, Dick, IQ, Agbaji, and Shead were the by-law enforcement officers to shoe the Bucks misfits away.
BI hit three 3s in the first quarter to set the tone.. He’s gone an incredible 16-for-25 from downtown over the last four games (that’s 64%). Mamu hit one of his own and his assist off BI’s triple came after the former got downhill,, touched the paint, threw a pass to IQ down low, got the ball back on the perimeter and threw an extra pass to BI at the top of the arc. Mamu also had a nice one-two punch with Shead.
When BI wasn’t making difficult mid-range jumpers in the first half, Scottie filled that role. He sandwiched two mid-range jumpers with a huge block and a deep 3 to put his team up by 8.
But turnovers, miscommunication, non-foul calls, and frustration were the thorn in the Raptors’ side. The Raptors had seven turnovers in the first quarter and four in the second. After Scottie refrained from biting on Bobby Portis’ pump fake down low, Dick left Gary Harris wide open and a bucket was easily scored. The Bucks caught up to the Raptors, Scottie wasn’t getting called for shooting fouls (not one free throw was taken by a Raptor in the first half), the frustration climaxed in an extremely poor Barnes’ pass to IQ.
However, Barnes still scored after playing through a non-foul call. Agbaji hit his second 3 after knocking one down earlier in the second quarter after Shead willed himself into the paint, kicked it out to the strongside corner, and the ball had swung all the way around the perimeter to the weakside corner into Agbaji’s hands.
Early in the second half, the same type of miscommunication on defence – this time in transition – was obvious as Scottie guarded Kevin Porter Jr. as he attacked the paint, and was then forced to close out on Portis, who knocked down the 3.
In the third quarter, as if to compensate for a lack of foul calls earlier, the Raptors got to the free throw line 13 times. Scottie and BI were both putting pressure on the rim – they combined for 18 points – with 16 of those points coming from either the charity stripe or in the paint. The Bucks continued to loiter around with Porter turning up the noise, trying to throw down a loud, nasty, and angry dunk. But Dick hit a much-needed triple to enforce a double-digit lead.
The fourth quarter started out with another self-inflicted wound, the Raptors wasting a possession with Mamu forcing an impossible 3-ball to beat the shot clock. The Raptors got two good 3-point looks, but couldn’t capitalize. So the Bucks continued to hang around until Dick’s second triple of the game pushed the stragglers away with a nine-point lead.
But it wasn’t just the Raptors with self-inflicted wounds. Jericho Sims got called for an offensive foul after IQ turned the ball over. Gary Trent Jr. got caught for a loose-ball foul. Porter didn’t run back on D (his fourth time according to Jack) and the Raptors took full advantage of the 5-on-4.
In the end, it was the starting PG who woke up from his evening slumber to keep the city streets clean and safe. When Porter hit a nice spin move and jumper, IQ answered with a lay-up. ‘No! No! No! Not on my watch,’ his play answered back. When Porter hoisted up a tough 3 and missed, IQ punished his poor decision with his step-back jumper. The Raptors were up nine, and Shead’s 3 and lay-up with less than a minute left gave the Raptors a 10-point buffer.
Not all wins are equal, but this was enough to keep the loiterers away and keep a pristine two-game win streak. Onto the next.
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