■ Notes: Turnovers lead to sloppy loss.
Offense can’t find rhythm
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.”
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.”
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.”
Energy shortage: It will be up to Kidd to find a way to get his team back to its usual high-octane 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.”