Raptors rebound in Game 4 win, even series with Bucks
MILWAUKEE – The Toronto Raptors need both of their All-Star guards to have strong offensive games against the Milwaukee Bucks.
That hasn’t always happened in this first-round series. It did in Game 4 on Saturday.
DeMar DeRozan delivered an effective and efficient offensive performance with a game-high 33 points, propelling the Raptors to an 87-76 victory. He also had nine rebounds and five assists.
Kyle Lowry was sufficient with 18 points on 8-for-17 shooting – and 14 of his points came in the second half.
As DeRozan and Lowry go, so go the Raptors. The Bucks make those two work for their points, and they earned them Saturday.
"Just going quick, being aggressive, not waiting on the double teams, understanding when I get the ball, getting into my sweet spot and making a quick move, make a quick play, whatever it may be," DeRozan said.
While Toronto has struggled in two losses and labored in two victories against the Bucks, the series is tied at 2-2, rendering the first-round affair to a best-of-three with home-court back in Toronto’s favor.
"I've always said that we play better with our backs against the wall," Raptors coach Dwane Case said. "It's a tough way to live, but I love our team’s resilient personality. I wish we wouldn’t have to have a stinker before we played that way, but if we can consistently get everybody at their potential level I think we’ll be in good shape."
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Casey made a change to his lineup, inserting forward Normal Powell into the starting five in place of center Jonas Valanciunas. Casey called it a strategic decision, and it worked.
The smaller lineup for Toronto matched up a tad better against Milwaukee’s first five, and when the Bucks brought reserve center Greg Monroe, Casey often countered with Valanciunas who had 12 points and five rebounds.
Powell had five points, including five straight late in the fourth quarter, extending Toronto’s lead to 79-69 with four minutes remaining in the game.
The Bucks, who sought to take command of the series, did not shoot well (37% from the field, 23.8% on three-pointers) and committed 20 turnovers.
"They found a way to slow us down, and our tempo really slowed down in the second half and came to a halt," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Our energy level was low for whatever reason, and we have to fix that going into Game 5."
The Raptors weren’t much better in this offensive eyesore – 41.3 % from the field and 22.7% on threes– but it resulted in a victory.
Now, it’s the Bucks’ turn to adjust. Bucks forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo (14 points) and Khris Middleton (10 points) were a combined 10-for-32 from the field, and point guards Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova combined for four points on 2-for-8 shooting.
Tony Snell led Milwaukee with 19 points.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
