Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 117-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
One — The Raptors keep taking care of business and have climbed above .500 with a four-game win streak. Once again, it came against a shorthanded opponent as Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second game of the year against Toronto, but the Bucks were hardly a pushover. The Raptors fought back from a 14-point deficit while battling heavy legs playing their third game in four nights, which shows the character and competitiveness of this group. Lulls are bound to happen over the course of a long season, and the good and mature teams have the ability to pick themselves up and flip the switch when needed, and the Raptors used their charge to engineer a 29-point turnaround to secure the win.
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Two — Toronto’s defensive effort in the first half was non-existent. Milwaukee poured it on by nailing 12 threes which inflated the total, but it largely came as a result of the Raptors slacking. Even the veterans were guilty of this, as reliable starters were routinely blowing assignments and making lazy mistakes like closing out too late and leaving their feet. That made them vulnerable to the pump fake, or overhelp in the lane and not coordinate how they would rotate, resulting in completely open looks. Add in a rampaging DeMarcus Cousins steaming down the lane without anyone to stand in his way, and it’s a miracle that the Raptors weren’t done and dusted after giving up 77 points at halftime. The offence was flowing, but the Raptors were never winning this game without dramatically tightening their defence.
Three — Well, the defensive turnaround was definitely dramatic. Milwaukee shot 3-for-22 in the third quarter with five turnovers for a grand total of 11 points, including a stretch of over seven minutes spanning into the fourth where they failed to score a single field goal. The Raptors were forcing the ball out of Khris Middleton’s hands, were much more solid in limiting penetration — which in turn led to fewer late closeouts for the Bucks to capitalize — and pretty soon the pressure was getting to them. Even reliable ball handlers like Jrue Holiday started losing grip of both the ball and the game, as he recorded six turnovers in the second half. The Raptors’ bench players overcame a slow first half and were excellent in maintaining and increasing the defensive intensity which allowed Toronto to take a commanding lead that they would not relinquish.
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Four — Some of it was defensive adjustments from Nick Nurse, but most of it was the will to execute. The Raptors did a much better job of showing a second layer of defence against Holiday, so that when VanVleet pressured him inside the arc, there was another bigger defender waiting to cut Holiday off before he got a head of steam. The Raptors also surprised Holiday and Middleton with occasional traps which forced them to make hurried decisions that contributed to their 12 combined turnovers on the night. But it was also the little things that aren’t scripted for. Gary Trent Jr. sprinted the length of the floor to break up a 2-on-1 fast break that was sure to end in a layup. Pascal Siakam contested everything from threes to layups. Fred VanVleet even rose up to meet a 6-foot-10 center at the basket for a highlight block. The starters set the tone early in the third quarter and the entire team fell in line.
Five — Siakam took whatever he wanted against the Bucks in his finest performance of the season. He was methodical and patient in his approach, reading how the Bucks were playing him and adapting his game to beat it. In one sequence early on, Siakam held the ball in the post against Jordan Nwora, knowing that the Bucks would need to send help. He watched Rodney Hood tap dance in the lane with the help, while DeMarcus Cousins did the same thing from the baseline, but Siakam waited both players out as they reset to avoid the three-second violation, before instantly spinning around Nwora for the layup. Siakam also faced up at the elbows and calmly drained jumpers, and continues to rediscover his three-point stroke with a pair of catch-and-shoot threes. Throw in the transition opportunities, and Siakam finished with an efficient 33 points to go along with his energetic defense in the second half.
Six — VanVleet knew he was in for a battle against a shutdown defender in Holiday. He was smart in his approach, as VanVleet realized that dominating the ball was an uphill battle against Holiday’s physical and bruising style of pressure defence. The Bucks clearly circled VanVleet as the first item in their game plan, and Holiday hounded VanVleet the full length of the floor. VanVleet’s solution was to get off the ball, to buy himself a foot of separation with each screen, and then catch and shoot on any chance he got. VanVleet ended up making five threes as part of his 19 points, while also giving it back to Holiday on the defensive end. VanVleet stripped Holiday at least three times, while also blocking one of his shots as Holiday finished with eight turnovers to one for VanVleet. That remains the most underrated aspect of his game, as VanVleet has recorded only two turnovers in his last five games despite being a go-to option and lead ball handler.
Seven — Trent Jr. always shows up when games get hard. He nailed a number of difficult looks, whether it was sidestepping for baseline jumpers, nailing threes with a hand in his face, or swishing buzzer beaters with Holiday draped all over him. There was only one routine catch-and-shoot three off a set of baseline screens to free Trent Jr. in the corner, otherwise his seven other makes were all heavily contested backbreakers for the defence. On the flip side, Trent Jr.’s activity was strong throughout, whether it was streaking ahead of the pack for transition opportunities, or bringing the double teams against Middleton and Holiday. It’s also so evident in his demeanour that he relishes difficult battles, because he’s actively looking to take tough shots and embracing the challenge.
Eight — OG Anunoby was the unsung hero. He was so efficient with his offence, scoring 22 points on 10 shots., which was exactly what the Raptors needed to support the two-man action of Siakam and VanVleet. Anunoby rediscovered the touch on his catch-and-shoot threes, and he was also showing patience in the post like Siakam. On a play in the first quarter, Anunoby had veteran defender Wes Matthews on him, and held the ball and bided his time until the officials called the Bucks for a defensive three seconds. After Trent Jr. swished the freebie, Anunoby called for the ball in the exact same spot on Matthews, backed him down in the middle of the paint, and got himself two free throws. Defensively, Anunoby was uncharacteristically shaky in the first half, but provided very timely help defence in the second half.
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Nine — The Raptors ran into a problem with their all-forward lineup in the first half. The Bucks’ scouts did their due diligence with scoping out the Raptors’ new look, and prepared a zone defence to counter it. The Raptors went for a three-minute spell where their overabundant bigs looked confused and disorganized in orienting themselves against the zone, and it resulted in poor spacing and ragged offense. The struggle was that the lineups badly lacked shooting, with one look featuring Siakam as their only outside threat, which isn’t much of a threat at all. For Scottie Barnes in his journey as a young point guard, it seemed to affect him the most as he looked puzzled about where to go with the ball. Expect more teams to deploy zones against the Raptors’ guardless lineups.
Ten — Justin Champagnie keeps being effective in his role. Nick Nurse turned to Champagnie in the second quarter during a stretch where the Bucks were threatening to pull away, and Champagnie instantly provided two layups where he cut behind the defence. He has a real knack for being in the right place at the right time, and it’s just enough to be useful as a fifth option. Defensively, Nurse knows that he can always turn Champagnie for a quick shift of all-out energy. His progression this season is reminiscent of Yuta Watanabe last season, as both undrafted forwards came in on two-way deals but quickly distinguished themselves as smart and reliable energy players. Coaches will always adore players like that.
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