Raptors mull few changes
Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry have more than held their own against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton so far in the Eastern Conference finals.
Other than some pretty boxscores, the Toronto Raptors have nothing to show for those efforts.
The supporting cast hasn’t supported much for Toronto, and with what is almost certainly a must-win Game 3 of the East title series looming tonight at home, Raptors coach Nick Nurse is weighing lineup tweaks. Nurse suggested yesterday that Serge Ibaka may start at center over struggling Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell may get minutes that would figure to come at Danny Green’s expense.
“We’ve got to be better, man,” Nurse said. “We’ve got to be more physical, we’ve got to hustle more and we’ve got to work harder.”
He may as well have punctuated that with “or else.”
In this playoff format that was put into play in 1984, teams that win the first two games at home of a best-ofseven series have ultimately prevailed 94% of the time. And that’s the luxury Milwaukee has right now, leading the series 2-0 after rallying to win the opener and then controlling Game 2 start to finish.
“We can’t rest,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We can’t relax. We can’t assume anything.”
So the odds are stacked against the Raptors. Nurse was told the lack of success teams have when down 0-2 in a series, and doesn’t care.
“I don’t really give a crap about that,” he said. “I just want our team to come play their (butt) off (tonight) and get one game and it changes the series.”
Leonard and Lowry are outscoring Antetokounmpo and Middleton 107-77 — which would figure to boost Toronto’s chances.
It hasn’t worked that way. Add up everyone else’s scoring, and it’s Bucks 156, Raptors 96. Rebounding has been onesided in both games, with Milwaukee controlling things on the backboards. Bench scoring has tilted heavily toward Milwaukee as well.
“We have another chance to bounce back (tonight),” Gasol said. “That’s all that matters right now.”