Notes: Turnovers, sloppy effort doom Bucks

It’s hard to score when you give the ball away.

The Milwaukee Bucks found that out in painful fashion as they dropped Game 4 to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, allowing Toronto to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series at two games apiece.

After they committed just 17 turnovers in the first two playoff games – total – the Bucks lost the ball 21 times Saturday afternoon at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

It affected every part of their offense. Their ball movement was substandard except for one whip-around-perimeter play to the corner. The tempo was too often a walk, not even a jog or a run. The Bucks played too much transition defense.

“We turned the ball over 20 times,” said Bucks coach Jason Kidd. “It’s hard to have a pace.”

GAME STORY: Toronto evens series

D'AMATO: Bucks' turn to clean up mess

RELATED: Antetokounmpo held in check

BOX SCORE: Raptors 87, Bucks 76

NBA: Scoreboard | Saturday's playoff recaps

Toronto's players fought through screens up top and were aggressive in getting to the ball. Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan had four steals and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo gave up seven of the turnovers, tying his career-worst mark.

“First play of the game we knew they were going to reach – and they reached all night,” said Kidd. “It was a physical game; the referees were letting the players play.”

Milwaukee was ranked 17th in the league during the regular season in turnovers. That’s why its first two playoff games were so impressive and helped the team stay competitive in both games, winning one on the road.

The Bucks had 12 turnovers in Game 3, a reasonable number. This time, the turnovers were costly in what was a tight game until the fourth quarter.

DeRozan said Toronto got its steals playing aggressively and switching guards on defense on the perimeter.

“Not getting caught with screens,” said DeRozan. “We tried to set the tone tonight, and we did. And that gave us opportunities to get out in transition and score."

Energy shortage: It will be up to Kidd to find a way to get his team back to its usual high-energy level.

He admitted that his team lacked energy on Saturday. That’s almost unheard of for a team playing in front of an energized home crowd and for a franchise so hungry for a little postseason success.

“We’ve got to fix that,” said Kidd. “We weren’t in fifth gear; we were more in third gear.”

A heightened focus on rest and recovery may be in order now, even with so much to work on as the series returns to Canada. The Bucks are scheduled to have a light shootaround Sunday morning before departing for Toronto for Game 5 on Monday night.

If they were tired after a late night Thursday and a Saturday afternoon turnaround, they have to focus on the things away from practice – rest and hydration – to get their pep back.

“No excuse. … That’s on us,” said forward Greg Monroe. “When the ball is thrown up you have to play as hard as you can.”

Brogdon struggles:Malcolm Brogdon scored only two points and had four turnovers in 28 minutes and had to chase the Raptors' Kyle Lowry, who finished with 18 points after a slow start to the game.

Asked if Brogdon was in a funk, Kidd shot that down right away.

“I don't think he's in a funk; he's a rookie," Kidd said. "Each game is different. It's understanding what the team needs, as a point guard in this league.

“It's more growing pains. Everybody who has been a player in this league goes through it, not just your first time in the playoffs but until you understand what each game means. It takes time to understand that."

In the cards: Managers and coaches like to have a script to follow during the game.

Kidd said he has a note card with his game plan written on it, but he's not afraid to make changes when the flow of the game presents something unexpected.

"We always come in with a game plan, and you learn very quickly you have to be prepared for different situations, foul trouble, injuries, the flow of the game, the rhythm," Kidd said. "I learned something very important from (Rick) Carlisle and Dirk (Nowitzki) when I was in Dallas, that Carlisle was the best defender on Dirk because he used to take him out when he was hot.

"It's understanding when to leave guys in. Some of it is feel. If I was playing, who would I want to be out with and who can deliver in this circumstance. We have a game plan; it's scripted. But you have to be able to adjust quickly.

"We're a big believer, if you're tired, tell me and I can get you out. And when you're ready, you can go back in. Communication is also key. I wish it was all scripted the way I write it out, but you've got to be able to adjust on the fly."

Kidd said he uses the note card to stay organized.

"The rotations and different times in the game, it's all printed out," he said. "If I had it in my head I would forget and do the opposite, probably.

"There's also a time and place for feel. Not trying to be robotic or dictate the game by a card. This is a free-flowing game. I've got a lot of guys over there who want to play and they have to be patient. I think they trust when the situation presents itself, they'll be in the game."

Kidd stayed with Michael Beasley in the rotation Saturday and the forward had four points in 12 minutes off the bench. Mirza Teletovic played in the first two games of the series and Beasley has played in the last two.

The Bucks bench outscored the Raptors reserves, 24-12, on Saturday, and Kidd used just four players off the bench: Monroe, Beasley, Matthew Dellavedova and Jason Terry.

Kidd on Parker: Jabari Parker wrote a piece for the Players' Tribune on Friday and said he really misses being in the playoffs with his teammates.

Parker also wrote about how he has embraced Milwaukee and wants to raise a family here.

“I haven’t read it yet," Kidd said. "I will. It hurts a little bit because he wants to be a part of this in the sense of on the floor. This is his second time — his rookie year he was out, he missed the Chicago series.

"Any athlete wants to compete, wants to be out there to help his teammates. For him to miss it a second time is very disappointing, but Jabari’s a very smart kid. He understands how he can help from the bench. From what I hear the piece is really good so I look forward to reading it. I think, again, his eyes and his knowledge of the game can be shared with his teammates. He’s still part of the team and he can still help us.”

Parker accompanied the team to Toronto for the first two games of the series. He averaged 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 51 games before tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament.