Raptors Go Toe-to-Toe with Bucks in Potential First-Round Playoff Matchup

The Toronto Raptors hung with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks all night Sunday in a preview of a potential first-round playoff matchup

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

At the very least, the Toronto Raptors showed they can hang with the Eastern Conference’s best.

Sunday’s game was supposed to be a scheduled loss for Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back against the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks with two days’ rest. Nobody would have been shocked if Milwaukee ran the Raptors off the court, sending a message to Toronto ahead of a very possible first-round playoff matchup between the teams.

And yet, the Raptors didn’t back down, going toe-to-toe with Milwaukee for the better part of 40-plus minutes. Eventually, though, that championship pedigree came to play and too many ill-timed turnovers sunk Toronto 118-111 in quite possibly the most impressive loss of the season for the Raptors.

Toronto had chances late. Fred VanVleet hit a high-arching three-pointer over Jrue Holiday to pull the Raptors to within two in the final three minutes. But a pair of beautiful finds from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Jevon Carter for three and Brook Lopez in the paint showed why the former MVP remains in the conversation for this year’s highest honor. When Jakob Poeltl fumbled a near-perfect pass from Pascal Siakam in the final minute, Toronto’s night was just about over.

The Bucks made it look so easy in the early going as the ball whizzed around and nailed three-pointers as if they were layups. When Toronto pinched in or doubled Antetokounmpo, the Bucks superstar made the easy pass, finding Khris Middleton for three.

It wasn’t until Precious Achiuwa checked in that the Raptors’ defense began to clamp down. After falling out of the rotation for two straight games, the 23-year-old looked stellar Sunday night, quickly forcing a pair of turnovers from Antetokounmpo and converting both his early pick-and-roll attempts with Fred VanVleet.

Gary Trent Jr. kept Toronto’s offense even with the high-scoring Bucks, nailing a trio of three-pointers in the first half as the Raptors pulled ahead by six. But a pair of ill-advised shot attempts by Will Barton going right at Antetokounmpo allowed Milwaukee to recapture the lead.

An Achiuwa block of Holiday midway through the third set up Trent for three as Toronto clawed back ahead of the Bucks. VanVleet nailed a pair of three-pointers then hit a miraculous fallaway jumper over the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo, scoring 11 of his team-high 23 points in the third quarter. The Raptors jumped up as many as eight after an and-1 from Chris Boucher on a put-back bucket, but every time Toronto made a run, the Bucks seemed to respond.

Barton’s inability to convert from the field proved costly for the Raptors whose second unit couldn’t get anything going to open the fourth. A 1-for-11 stretch from the field for Toronto put the Bucks up seven. Considering Barton is now 2-for-15 over his last four games, it might be time to go back to Jeff Dowin Jr. even if it means converting his two-way contract and waiving someone else.

Trent led Toronto's bench with 18 points including five three-pointers while O.G. Anunoby chipped in with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting.

With the loss, Toronto falls back to two games below .500 and a half-game back of the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed in the conference after Atlanta embarrassingly blew a 24-point lead to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Barnes Exits Injured

Scottie Barnes exited in the second quarter with a left wrist injury. X-rays on the hand came back negative but he did not return.

More information should be forthcoming when the team practices on Tuesday.

Up Next: Indiana Pacers

The Raptors will have two days off before welcoming the Indiana Pacers to Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.