Finally landing the knockout punch
Bucks erase big deficit en route to 50th win
TORONTO - The Milwaukee Bucks took the early punch. Staggered by the suffocating defense of the Toronto Raptors and barraged by threepointer after three-pointer, the Bucks found themselves in a 12-point hole late in the second quarter.
In the same building where their playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference finals last year, the Bucks again were struggling and looked to be at a loss for how to stem the tide.
But then, the answers came. First, their three-pointers started falling, then their defense turned up a few notches. A double-digit deficit dwindled to just two at halftime. They kept rolling out of halftime, with their offense demonstrating more crispness and composure, Khris Middleton coming alive and their defense putting the clamps on the Raptors.
From what looked like a rock bottom, the Bucks sprang to life and never looked back, beating the Raptors, 108-97, Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena for their best road win of many this season, one that continued a four-game win streak out of the allstar break and served as some small measure of vengeance for what happened last spring.
Middleton scored 17 of his team-high 22 points after halftime, many coming off feeds from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who patiently probed Toronto's defense and the unceasing double-teams they threw at him. Antetokounmpo, who logged 38 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back after playing just 25 minutes on Monday against the Washington Wizards, finished with a hard-earned 19 points and 19 rebounds along with eight assists.
Eric Bledsoe chipped in 17 points and Brook Lopez had 15 in the victory.
Milwaukee's game-changing run started in the final three minutes of the second quarter when Marvin Williams connected on a corner three. To that point, the Bucks were just 1 of 11 on threepointers in the second quarter while the Raptors had built their lead by making 5 of 10 beyond the arc in that quarter.
Antetokounmpo followed with a triple from the same spot then Middleton, who started the game 0 for 4 from the floor coming off a 40-point game in an overtime win on Monday, knocked down a triple of his own. Antetokounmpo put the finishing flourish on the half with a drive for a layup to cap an 11-1 run.
Out of the break, the Bucks looked every bit their record as the best team in the NBA. Undaunted by the Raptors' physicality, they poked holes in the defense, often with Antetokounmpo hitting players off drives and elbow touches. As they knocked down shots – going 58.8% from the floor in the third – their defense started to get into a groove.
By the three-minute mark of the third, the Bucks had gone on a 36-16 run since falling behind by 12 points a quarter before. It was a lead they would never give up.