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Toronto Raptors Go Ice Cold in Second Half, Lose 97-83 to Milwaukee Bucks

By Chris Okrainetz

Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey questions a call in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey questions a call in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Raptors fell apart during the second half and the Milwaukee Bucks throttled the Dinos en route to a 97-83 victory.

Thoughts and Observations

  • In what has become a spring tradition of sorts, the Toronto Raptors lost their first game in round one to the Milwaukee Bucks. This loss felt worse than the rest, however, because the Raptors played terribly. There was no 12:30 start to blame. No, the Raptors were outworked by the Bucks in the second half and now they once again find themselves trailing in a series.
  • It’s difficult to explain, let alone comprehend, this phenomenon, but what happened to Kyle Lowry? For whatever reason, postseason Lowry is nothing like regular season Lowry and I don’t understand why.

    • The “gut-punch” of this game came in the second half of the third quarter when the Bucks went on an 11-6 run with

    Giannis Antetokounmpo

    on the bench for 4:33 and the Raptors were in the bonus. It looked like a golden opportunity for Toronto, but it was clearly fool’s gold.

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  • The Bucks had a confusing rotation during the first half where Jason Kidd would play Spencer Hawes, Matthew Dellavedova, Jason Terry and Tony Snell over Greg Monroe. It was bizarre because the Bucks, who love to aggressively double team ball handlers, were unable to properly execute their defence and it led to great looks for Toronto. It was eventually reversed in the second half, but it was confusing to see during the first half.
  • As for the Raptors, why Dwane Casey was hesitant to roll the Serge Ibaka at the five lineup at will is beyond me. I understand wanting to match Jonas Valanciunas up with Monroe or Thon Maker, but leaving DeMarre Carroll out there to defend Antetokounmpo was a horrific idea. The only player who was defending Antetokounmpo well was P.J. Tucker. Tucker has the weight to push back and he’s mobile enough to keep with Antetokounmpo’s freakish cuts. Hopefully we see Tucker on him more going forward.
  • How great was Thon Maker? The former Orangeville Prep standout had four points, three rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 15 minutes of action. The first half was shaky for Maker, but he was a force in the third quarter and had a monster block on DeMar DeRozan. He also helped a lot with the Bucks’ spacing and was a reason behind Milwaukee getting cleaner looks in the third quarter.

    • If there were any questions about Monroe’s  role in this series, I think he emphatically answered those questions with Saturday’s performance.

    For the Raptors, it boiled down to poor execution, turnovers, allowing points off turnovers and shooting. Toronot was 3-of-18 in the third quarter alone. That kind of shooting will always be a recipe towards disaster and their poor shooting in the second half highlighted their 32 second half points. If the Raptors want to shoot 20 percent in a half again this postseason, it will be a short playoff run.

    Three Stars of the Night

    1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: he was the best player on the floor during this game and it wasn’t even close.
    2. Greg Monroe: his minutes fluctuated in the first half, but once Jason Kidd committed to him in the second half Monroe flourished. Middleton and Brogdon were terrific, too, but Monroe was such a difference maker on the glass, hauling in 15 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass.
    3. Serge Ibaka: although the Raptors fell apart in the second half, Ibaka was their best player throughout this contest.

    Statline of the Night

    0-9

    The Raptors are now 0-9 in Game 1s during the first round. Not much more to say about this, the opening game has been a nightmare for the Raptors. Just to add on a bonus stat, though, here’s a look at how poorly Lowry has shot the ball during his postseason career, via Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated.

    What’s Next

    Game 2 is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre and it is now a must-win game for the Raptors.

    Next: Podcast: Breaking Down the Raptors-Bucks Series and NBA Playoffs

    What did you think of the Toronto Raptors 97-83 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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