Ibaka, Siakam soar but Raptors drop battle of unbeatens
Only one NBA team could finish Monday with a 7-0 record, and it wasn’t the Raptors’ night against the Bucks in Milwaukee — losing 124-109. Toronto has struggled to put together a complete game this season, despite a 6-0 start, and that didn’t change in their first visit to Milwaukee’s new downtown arena, the Fiserv Forum. Even without marquee players Kawhi Leonard (rest) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (concussion protocol), it was a fast-paced contest that the Raptors never managed to put their stamp on. Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam and
Jonas Valanciunas were the only Raptors who scored in double digits, while seven Bucks wound up with 11 points or more. á Arc-hilles heel: The Raptors were outscored by 30 points from beyond the three-point line, with Kyle Lowry going 0-for-9 from long range. The Bucks made 19 threes, shooting just over 42 per cent. Milwaukee’s bench came up with nine three-pointers; Toronto’s bench three. Eight Bucks made at least one three.
á Last-minute magic: Valanciunas was initially slated to start opposite Bucks centre Brook Lopez, but coach Nick Nurse changed his mind just before tipoff and went with Ibaka. The move paid off, as Ibaka went 6-for-6 from the field in nine first-quarter minutes — with 13 points and nine rebounds in that
time. He finished the night with 30 points, his personal high in a Raptors jersey.
á Bench mobbed: Toronto’s second unit missed the presence of steady Fred VanVleet (sprained big toe) and OG Anonuby (personal reasons) and failed to find a rhythm even as they racked up minutes late in the game. The bench crew made just one shot in the first half and finished with 31 points.
á Wright back: Delon Wright made his second appearance of the season after missing five of the Raptors’ first six games with a left adductor strain. After playing just five minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he logged 13 minutes against the Bucks with four points, two rebounds and one assist.
á Food for thought: The Raptors, now 6-1, started last season 4-3 on the way to a franchise-record 59-win season … Raptor Pascal Siakam finished with a career-high 22 points … Chris Boucher and Jordan Loyd made their NBA debuts in the fourth quarter … Lowry passed Doug Christie to become No. 1 on the Raptors’ career steals list with 665. He had two on the night … The Bucks are 7-0 for the first time since 1971, and have scored at least 110 points in each game. á What’s next? The Raptors return home to complete their second back-to-back of the season with a visit from the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, before heading out on the road for four. The 76ers beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-92 on Monday night.