Toronto misses the heist of the century against Milwaukee

The end of this game Raptors–bucks is as unique as the beginning will be boring! After going through a black hole from the start of the match, on 0/15 shooting to start the game, Nick Nurse’s troops could consider themselves lucky to be just a point behind after 12 minutes of playing (12 -13).

turn your back, Milwaukee His side also struggled to restart the engine, resulting in a basketball mush that lasted until the break, punctuated by Toronto’s first two 3-pointers, scored by Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr (38-39).

The sequel is better. Two 3-point missiles by OG Anunoby and two consecutive baskets by Fred VanVleet brought Toronto back to 53-53. But in this context, Milwaukee managed to stay the course, with an 8-2 finish by the hyperactive MarJon Beauchamp (55-61).

Aerial finishes by Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher, however, allowed the locals to consider the final action with hope (59-63). But the Bucks quickly calmed the conflicting enthusiasm. It was 7-0 with a 3-pointer from Giannis Antetokounmpo to set the tone. The “Greek Freak” was then killed Toronto almost alone, with two golden services for Grayson Allen and Brook Lopez on 3-points then a 2+1 (69-88).

Milwaukee leads by 16 points with 1:30 left…

Stunned, the Raptors gradually came to their senses thanks to the brilliance of Scottie Barnes, still far from thinking that the sophomore would launch an incredible “comeback”. And for good reason, Milwaukee still leads by 16 points with 90 seconds left!

But Toronto held on, played every second to the fullest and took advantage of some exploits from Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr, combined with big mistakes from Grayson Allen and Bobby Portis in particular, to go up 28-7!

The hero of the last seconds was without a doubt Gary Trent Jr, author of a 3+1 then a 3-pointer on the head of Brook Lopez to miraculously tie at 97-97, sending the two teams to overtime! In a suffocating atmosphere, Scottie Barnes managed two exploits to respond to Bobby Portis and Grayson Allen, but the Bucks sniper had the last word with a 3-pointer in the corner on a final serve from Giannis Antetokounmpo to prove his triple-double (101-104). Epic!

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– An unreal start to the match. The first quarter delivered some pretty original scenes for an NBA game with a lot of awkwardness on both sides of the field. The Raptors opened the ball by starting with 0/15 shooting, Milwaukee responded with a series of 13 attempts without scoring in the game for the final score after 12 minutes: 12 to 13! Either the worst quarter of the season for both teams. The sequel was no more glorious as Toronto once again went through a streak of 0/13 shooting. At halftime, the Raptors and Bucks signed off on their worst first half of the season. Fortunately, what happened next was more satisfying.

– When Grayson Allen plays “cat-bite” at the worst possible time. Grayson Allen’s reputation as a “dirty player” should not fade after the night game. The shooter actually touched the private parts of Gary Trent Jr. when the latter was in extension, about to register a 3-point crucial in the return of the place. Results of the races, a Flagrant 1 to assist the extension force. Definitely not a very good move on his part though Grayson Allen did it well by signing the 3-point winner from the corner.

– End of streak for Milwaukee. We have to go back to January 27, 2021 to find traces of success for Milwaukee against the Raptors in the regular season. So the Bucks’ run was five games and almost two years after the victory over Toronto. The match ended badly but Mike Budenholzer’s troops finally got there!

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Giannis Antetokounmpo. Heroic in a “back-to-back” where Milwaukee was undermanned. He gave his 10th decisive pass at the end trying to prove his triple-double but more importantly to secure victory for his men after a big disappointment. 30 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 game (but… 12 lost balls), All this the day after his career high of 55 points.

✅ Brook Lopez. Quite simply because he is important next to the “Greek Freak”, although so are Portis, Allen and Connaughton, and even if he does not particularly shine in attack (4/11 in shooting). A dissuasive presence generated by 19 rebounds and an important activity for this diminished team.

✅Gary Trent Jr. It was only for these two strokes of genius in the final sprint of the fourth quarter that allowed Toronto to prolong the suspense.

⛔️ The leaders of the Raptors…. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam especially shined in their nervousness in this match, playing off-time. With difficulty from the start, due to mistakes in particular, Pascal Siakam was a shadow of himself (11 points on 4/18 shooting). “FVV” hardly improved, with many forced situations contrasted with some good streaks. His last shot in overtime was a bad shot…

⛔️ The Raptors bench. However, this is the match where the bank can bring an important second wind against a team in “back-to-back”. But the opposite happened. Mike Budenholzer’s bench was productive with 34 points where the locals’ bench remained stuck at 7 units…

THE FOLLOWING

Toronto (16-21): the Raptors are still at home this Friday on the occasion of welcoming the Knicks.

Milwaukee (24-13): the Bucks host Charlotte this Friday (2:00 am).