Bucks halt Raptors’ streak in return from all-star break
The Toronto Raptors avoided the letdown or the lookahead going into the NBA all-star break playing at or near peak capacity.
They weren’t so fortunate coming out of it, dropping a 122-119 overtime decision to the visiting Bucks at the Air Canada Centre, which snapped their win streak at seven.
The Raptors’ undoing came in the second quarter when the Bucks went off for 42 points, made more inexplicable by the fact only seven of those points belonged to Milwaukee go-to scoring machine Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks got hot from behind the arc, going 6-for-6 from distance, and got 14 points out of Khris Middleton in the frame to take a comfortable eight-point lead into the half.
The Raptors rallied in the fourth quarter on the strength of much-improved defensive play that shut the taps off for the Bucks from three. The Raptors also started hitting a few shots of their own, first by the bench mob and then in the final six minutes by the starters.
Still, it took a running dunk over John Henson by Jonas Valanciunas just beating the buzzer to even get this one to overtime.
Once there, the Raptors began to look again like the team that came into this one on a sevengame winning streak. Kyle Lowry got it started with a three-ball from the corner, then Serge Ibaka hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper to establish a five-point lead.
Then, just as suddenly, the momentum switched again as the Bucks got a long two from Antetokounmpo and threes from Jason Terry and Middleton to take back the lead.
The Raptors had to settle for a two when they were looking for a three with just under five seconds remaining, leaving them down one.
Terry, who finished with a bench-high 14 points for the Bucks, sealed the deal with three free throws.
It was the first win in three tries for the Bucks against Toronto, but that will be of little solace to a Raptors team that was determined to pick up where they left off going into the break.
Their opportunity to start a new streak comes Monday, when the Detroit Pistons visit the ACC.
REST SHOULDN’T BE ISSUE
The playoffs are 24 games and almost a month and a half away, but the Raptors are already preparing.
Head coach Dwane Casey said the team is discussing its previous practice of resting marquee players in some of the final games of the season.
They have done it in the past and Casey has not liked the results. Both Lowry and DeMar DeRozan may have to even have their minutes ramped up to get ready for a heavier workload in the playoffs.
“That’s been talked about,” Casey said. “As far as resting players and giving guys days off, we’ve got to really examine that because that hasn’t really helped us a lot. I don’t know if it takes our rhythm away or what it does, but I think it’s kind of discombobulated us a little bit in the past. I like the rhythm we have now. There is some thought to see whether guys can play bigger minutes. We’ll see.”
In previous seasons, Lowry and DeRozan were playing upwards of 40 minutes a night.
This season, with the second unit being so strong and Casey and his staff making a concerted effort to keep their two all-stars’ minutes down, Lowry and DeRozan have not been over-extended.