Bucks 104, Raptors 99: Brogdon, Antetokounmpo and Lopez star in a battle of heavyweights
TORONTO - After a first meeting in which both teams were without their superstar players, the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors – the top two teams in the Eastern Conference – squared off Sunday at Scotiabank Arena.
The drama of the highly-anticipated battle did not disappoint.
Malcolm Brogdon hit two clutch three-pointers in the final 67 seconds – with a steal in between them – and the Bucks held on for a 104-99 victory to take a 2-0 lead over the East-leading Raptors in the season series and improve to 8-0 in games following a loss.
In the Bucks locker room, the win was regarded by players as one of the best victories – if not the best – they have claimed this season. Universally, they agreed that coming out of Canada with a win hinged primarily on their teamwork and unselfishness.
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BOX SCORE: Bucks 104, Raptors 99
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"Trust," Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said when asked to cite the key element of their success in a game that went down to the wire.
"I think we did a great job trusting one another and moving the ball. Malcolm hit some huge shots for us, but at the end of the day we moved the ball, we trusted one another. That’s why he had the opportunity to knock down those shots.”
Antetokounmpo finished with 19 points and 19 rebounds in the victory, although he was dogged throughout the night by Toronto's defense. Brook Lopez had 19 points, including five three-pointers, but his final points came with more than 7 1/2 minutes on the clock.
When the game was in the balance after Raptors star Kawhi Leonard scored nine of his 20 points to carry Toronto back from an 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter all the way to a three-point lead with under 90 seconds to go, no points were bigger than Brogdon's.
A minute removed from Leonard's biggest shot – a three-pointer over Lopez that got a shooter's bounce and put the Raptors ahead 97-94 – Milwaukee's Khris Middleton drove baseline looking to make something happen. He bypassed the hoop and curled out, kicking a pass to Brogdon along the arc. Brogdon swished it with 1 minute 7 seconds left to knot the score up.
"Unselfish," Middleton said. "That's the way we have to play. We have so many weapons on this team that no matter who's open, or who drives, as long as we get the best shot, we're going to be all right.
At the other end, Leonard attacked off a pick-and-roll with Serge Ibaka that had been trouble most of the night for the Bucks. Ibaka, regardless of who had the ball, had often popped for shots and made them count, scoring 22 points while making 4 of a career-high 11 three-pointers.
This time, Leonard went to the rim and was met by Antetokounmpo and Lopez, using the whole of their height to try to repel him. The result was a Leonard pass through the trees right to Brogdon who scooped up and with it started the break.
The ball swung around, making its way to Middleton at the top of the key. With Fred VanVleet closing out on him, Middleton made the extra pass to Brogdon in front of the Bucks' bench for the shot that gave Brogdon 18 points on the night and put Milwaukee ahead for good with 41 seconds left.
“With the threes, again, Khris assisted me on both of those," Brogdon said. "Just unselfish. I’m going to get the glory for the shots, but Khris is the one that sacrificed and made the extra passes to get it to me.
“It means a whole lot because down the stretch we’re going to rely on Giannis, we’re going to rely on Khris, but they’re going to need us. They’re going to need their role players, their role guys to knock down shots for them when stuff isn’t going well or when they attract a lot of attention. So it gives us confidence.”
After a layup by VanVleet, the Bucks burned two timeouts trying to avoid a turnover while the Raptors trapped heavily. The use of the timeouts worked out, with Antetokounmpo ultimately putting the Bucks back up by three with a dunk.
Leonard tried to tie the score at the other end, but his 30-foot three-point attempt missed and Milwaukee's Ersan Ilyasova came up with the rebound and ice the game at the free-throw line.
“Aw man, this was a great team win today, said Eric Bledsoe, who finished with nine points and five assists while celebrating his 29th birthday. "This is one of the best wins I think we had all season.”
The Bucks did more than just close well. Sterling Brown and Thon Maker – though only scoring five points apiece – were noteworthy off the bench, as was Tony Snell who finished with 10 points. Milwaukee also was much improved defensively compared to recent games with Bledsoe helping hold all-star guard Kyle Lowry scoreless and Middleton doing yeoman's work on Leonard.
"I love it," Middleton said of defending Kevin Durant on Friday then another MVP-caliber player in Leonard. "That was part of our conversation with (coach Mike Budenholzer) was, you know, get after it and accept the challenge. Just compete. I think both assignments, I did an OK job on them. Tough scorers, tough players. We lost one, we won one tonight, but just compete. Just try to do the best I can, know where my help is coming from."
Additionally, after a first half in which they were limited to just eight points in the paint, the Bucks made a concerted effort to drive to the basket one-on-one, resulting in 30 points in the paint after halftime.
But more than anything, the win was about trust, unselfishness and playing together, something the Bucks hope they can replicate when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers back home on Monday.
"We have 100 percent belief in one another," Lopez said. "Obviously, it's gone well for us. That faith in one another is huge."