Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks had won three in a row, including a tough weekend back-to-back. But they couldn’t make it four straight against the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 team.
The Bucks (29-39) fell to the Toronto Raptors (45-21) Tuesday 107-89 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee controlled the paint for a 50-40 scoring advantage down low, but the Raptors owned the skies. Toronto hit 14 three-pointers, while Milwaukee tallied just two—spelling the difference in the game, as Jason said afterward.
“I think we only made nine shots outside of the paint,” Jason said. “I think they made more threes than we made shots outside of the paint. We have to shoot the ball better.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed red hot for the Bucks. The versatile Greek star finished one assist shy of a triple-double, with 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. It would’ve been his fifth triple-double in less than a month. Jabari Parker matched his 18 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 25-point night by Kyle Lowry.
The All-Star point guard had his team out to an early lead, but Giannis set Jerryd Bayless up on a three-pointer about five minutes in to give the Bucks an 11-10 advantage. The Bucks built a comfortable lead near the end of the first quarter on two Khris Middleton-Miles Plumlee connections. Middleton first set Plumlee up on an alley oop. Shortly thereafter, Plumlee threw down a fast-break dunk off a Middleton steal to put Milwaukee in front 28-22 at the end of the period.
But the Bucks cushion didn’t last long. Toronto hit six three-pointers in the third quarter to take control. The Raptors took a 35-34 lead with 8:22 left in the second quarter. Tyler Ennis sank a pair of free throws to put Milwaukee back ahead 36-35, but Toronto went on a 11-2 run to grab a 47-38 lead. The Bucks did chip back late, cutting it to three, 52-49, at halftime.
Despite only trailing by three points heading into the second half, the Bucks struggled offensively in the third quarter.
“The ball didn’t move,” Jason said. “I think we got a little frustrated. We have to do a better job shooting outside the paint.”
The Raptors opened the second half on an 10-0 run to take a 62-49 lead with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter. A Parker free throw dropped the Toronto lead to 64-55, but the Raptors went on another run, this time scoring seven unanswered points, to lead 71-55. The Bucks only managed 17 third-quarter points, and they trailed 81-66 at the end of the third quarter.
Milwaukee shot 52.9 percent in the final frame, but the damage was done in the second and third. The Raptors hit nine three-pointers in the middle frames, and the Bucks hit zero in that span.
“Our strength is inside the paint, but when you are getting shots blocked or they are packing the paint to dare you to shoot, you have to be able to shoot those shots with confidence,” Jason said. We just didn’t do that tonight.”
NEXT UP
The Bucks will try to put this game behind them when they return home to face the Memphis Grizzlies (39-28) Thursday. The Grizzlies have lost three of their last four games.
The two teams have met once this season, on Jan. 28 in Memphis. The Bucks lost that game 103-83.
The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Wisconsin at 7 p.m. CT.
