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Toronto Raptors Balance the Scales at 1-1, Defeating Milwaukee Bucks 106-100

By Demar Grant

Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) talks with forward Serge Ibaka (9) after beating Milwaukee Bucks 106-100 in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) talks with forward Serge Ibaka (9) after beating Milwaukee Bucks 106-100 in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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When you set a franchise record for made threes in a game can you really lose? The Toronto Raptors (1-1) tied the series Tuesday night, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks (1-1) 106-100.

Thoughts and Observations

  • Toronto Raptors‘ coach Dwane Casey has settled on his Kyle Lowry + bench lineup. By taking Serge Ibaka out early in the first, at the beginning of the second the Raptors ran the “Jurassic Five” of Lowry, Ibaka, Cory Joseph, P.J. Tucker and Patrick Patterson.
  • An overlooked part of the Milwaukee Bucks is that they have shooters: Matthew Dellavedova, Malcolm Brogdon, Tony Snell and Mirza Teletovic can bang ’em from deep. Even Thon Maker is stroking them from three-point land. I don’t expect scores to be in the 110’s but don’t be surprised by some 105-100 finishes.

    • Lowry is obviously bothered by the length of Milwaukee. When given glimmers at the rim, he’s consistently passed in opportunities he would shoot during the regular season. The defence collapses to accommodate his penetration so the pass is an okay option, but nothing beats a layup at the rim.

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  • Greg Monroe is a problem that cannot be solved, finishing with 18 points in 21 minutes this game. He’s killed any centre in front of him. Jonas Valanciunas isn’t a good post defender and Jakob Poeltl is too inexperienced to handle Monroe’s swerving post up game, despite his quick feet. Only Ibaka has proved a good match.

    • Jack Armstrong is getting reckless with the three-pointer locations. Usually its downtown, Brampton, Mississauga or Etobicoke, but on Tuesday night he busted out Welland. How many people in Welland do you think are watching the Raptors game? It’s a city of 50, 000 people.

    Brogdon is the agent Smith to Lowry’s Neo (in the first Matrix of course, before the story started getting crazy and Agent Smith was cloning himself and taking over other people’s bodies). Brogdon is taller, longer, stronger, more athletic and just as smart as Lowry in the floor game. Lowry isn’t necessarily timid on offence, but Brogdon is there everywhere he goes and it’s seemingly impossible to shake him

    Ah, so this is what it looks like to see your team shoot well from behind the arc. The Raptors made 14 three-pointers, to set a franchise playoff record.

  • Delon Wright only played a handful of minutes in this game (tallying three assists), but he has a place in the series. The Bucks’ length is making it really hard to get clean passing angles and Wright is the second-best passer on the team. Keeping Wright around could help the Raptors ball movement, while his length provides the team with some extra switchability against a squad that is very switchable.

    • Three Stars of the Night

    1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 24 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. The Greek Freak is the best player in the series and he’s only 21-years old. The Raptors are designing their entire defence to stop him and he’s still crushing them in other aspects.
    2. Kyle Lowry: 22 points, with four rebounds and five assists is a nice line for any night in the NBA, but throw in three steals and a block on top of it and now we’re having a party. Responding to his atrocious Game 1, Lowry came back with an aggressive mindset in the pick and roll, dicing up the defence. Don’t forget the dagger he hit to put the Raptors up four with 8.9 seconds left
    3. Serge Ibaka:  16 points (including 4-of-7 from deep), seven rebounds, six assists and two massive blocks. The only reason Ibaka isn’t the second star of the game is because Lowry hit the dagger to seal the game. Exemplary all-around game for Ibaka, even though he was having issues with his ankle beforehand.

    Statline of the Night

    14-of-29

    The Raptors hit 14 of their 29 shots from deep, which set a franchise record for most three’s made in a playoff game. That’s 48.3 percent from three-point land folks – one can only dream of shooting that well from range, unless you’re the Warriors…

    What’s Next

    Game 3 is in Milwaukee on Thursday, April 20 and it’s a 8:00 pm tip-off. Deadlocked at 1-1, the next game is going to serve as a serious inflection point in the series. Bucks win and the Raptors have a serious issue on their hands. Raps win and the Bucks won’t be staring death in the face, but she’s winked at them.

    Next: Breaking Down the Raptors-Bucks Series

    What did you think of the Toronto Raptors’ 106-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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