The Milwaukee Bucks swept back-to-back video games on the Fiserv Discussion board to start out the week by defeating the Toronto Raptors, 130-122, on Tuesday night time. Milwaukee improved to 29-16 after wins over Indiana and Toronto. The Raptors are right down to 20-25.
Listed below are some factors from the sport:
Jrue Vacation takes cost to edge out Fred VanVleet, Raptors
After an evening of scoring a season-high 35 factors towards Indiana, Bucks guard Jr. Vacation soared his offensive recreation towards Toronto with 37 factors.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the lineup for the final 4 video games, Vacation averaged 27.3 factors and 9.8 assists, and it actually seems to be like he is within the midst of his first really wholesome interval of the season.
sq. rating: Bucks 130, Raptors 122
“Clearly we’re a bit bit down and brief on workers, and it is gone up exponentially,” Bucks coach Mike Bodenholzer stated. “Simply two video games in a row Jrue Vacation. He seems to be like he is obtained the bounce, he is obtained the pop, the way in which he hits the ball and the way in which he will get to the rim and the paint and he offers us that presence too. He does all of it.”
Whereas Vacation acknowledges that with out Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on the sector, he is extra dominant on the ball, his three-point taking pictures (25-for-55, 45%) since coming back from an sickness spell on January 3 reveals that whereas he dictates tempo and tries to succeed in Protection enamel, he additionally discovered a rhythm from the depths.
That continued on Tuesday when he hit his first three 3-pointers and made 4-of-5 in a 24-point first inning the place he was additionally 6-for-7 within the drawn space.
He did so after catching his first two fouls of the sport on the first minute and 46 seconds after which the third and fourth fouls inside 25 seconds of one another on the midway level of the third.
From that time on, Vacation seemed to be energetic and unrestrained from being aggressive on both finish, throwing his physique at Toronto defenders to get to his paint spots after which trigger havoc on protection.
Vacation was assisted by two of Brook Lopez’s three-pointers, labored his layup, then arrange the three Grayson Allen touchdowns with an acrobatic steal from Fred Vanvleet that noticed Vacation tip the ball to himself, then leap into the air to throw it off a surprised Vanvleet and into the arms of Allen.
“I type of apologized to (Vanfleet) as a result of he was simply the primary particular person I noticed,” Holliday stated. “I didn’t actually see the place my teammate was, so I attempted to hit him out of bounds, but it surely simply didn’t occur. And actually I believe Grayson is simply Grayson, being aggressive, he might rating from anyplace on the courtroom and take an open alternative and hit it. Good defensive possession was good offensive possession really “.
It was a 14-6 stretch of the Bucks that noticed them break the tie 82-82 and lead 96-88 late within the third quarter.
Vacation then edged VanVleet down the stretch, which included two key baskets to carry the Raptors at arm’s size and a VanVleet blocked shot with 1:06 to go within the recreation with the Bucks taking a 126-119 lead.
“What’s superb about Jrue is that he makes the toughest photographs, the best issue photographs look really easy and offer you; like you will have the sensation when he takes a type of photographs, oh, nothing, that’s going to occur,” Lopez stated. on her.” “It’s actually cool. Once more, I am on the courtroom simply watching him, like, OK Junior, step again, behind the backboard, determine it out, go the opposite approach.”
Vanfleet completed with 39 factors, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and introduced his group inside one level with lower than seven minutes left within the recreation.
Brook Lopez fired
At 6:40 of the fourth quarter, Lopez was ejected after assessing two technical fouls for 2 opposing tackles after a basket by Vacation. He was handcuffed with Gary Trent, and as Trent had his arms tied round Lopez, Lopez pulled off Trent’s headband. That spilled onto the baseline in entrance of the Raptors’ bench, the place Lopez then heated up with OG Anunoby.
After either side parted methods, Lopez was despatched to the loos after scoring 19 factors in 29 minutes. Technical fouls have been additionally assessed to Anunobi and Raptors assistant Jamal Magliore.
Lopez rediscovered the three-point contact
The Bucks middle went by way of 9 video games from December 21 to January. 6 that has him making an attempt 3.1 three-pointers per recreation and hitting simply 32.1% of them. And whereas he averaged 14.1 factors per recreation in that span, it was a major dip in his three-point manufacturing from a stable begin to the 12 months by which he averaged 5.4 factors per recreation and scored 39.5% over his first 29 video games. However since Jan. 9 in New York, not solely has Lopez set extra triples once more, he is additionally been on hearth.
After a 3-for-5 effort from deep towards the Raptors earlier than being dismissed, Lopez turned 18-for-37, accounting for a 48.6% clip at 6.2 tries per recreation. He additionally averaged 15.7 factors per recreation during the last six video games.
“I believe it is simply discovering a very good steadiness between attending to the dunker, attending to the purpose, issues like that to assist our group and proceed to seek out these areas to get threes,” Lopez stated of his latest scorching stretch.
consecutive defensive struggles within the first half
Indiana picked up the tempo on Monday, scoring 76 factors behind 25 from guard TJ McConnell. Toronto adopted on Tuesday with a 74-point effort behind the backcourt of Vanfleet (22) and Trent (21). The pair mixed to go 6-for-11 from behind the three-point line and 16-for-25 (64%) total.
“It is a bit bit our fault and a bit bit theirs,” Allen stated. “We had two groups that have been actually nice at kicking the ball. Fred Vanvleet and Gary Trent within the first half hit a bunch of threes and a whole lot of them have been reactionary and hard and aggressive. I did a greater job however I believe a bit little bit of credit score ought to go to the groups we performed, simply being actually good.” Within the assault, we hit exhausting blows.
“However within the second interval, the third quarter, the fourth, twenty third and twenty fifth (factors), we have been in a position to advance and get some stops and that allowed us to complete the sport like that.”
5 numbers
4-1 The Bucks scored on the back-to-back finish.
6-4 Bucks scored when Antetokounmpo will not be enjoying.
18 Residence win over the Bucks, the second most within the Jap Convention after the Cleveland 19.
“Defend residence courtroom – I believe that is all the time an vital factor on this league,” Portez stated. “Win as many video games as potential at residence after which on the street, with out saying you do not need to win as many video games as potential on the street, however making an attempt to separate as many video games as potential. Defend the house discipline it is a massive factor and we have performed it for essentially the most half this season and it ought to To proceed to take action.”
80 Cent on three level taking pictures for the Bucks within the first quarter, as they went 8-for-10 from outdoors the arc to take a 44-34 lead. Vacation was 3 for 3 and Ingles was 2 for two. They completed the night time 19-for-39 (48.7%). Grayson Allen was 4-for-5 from depth tying a season-high with 25 factors. Joe Engels shot 3 times off the bench for 15 factors and Connaughton was knocked down 3 times.
2019-20 Final season, the Bucks gained a season collection towards Toronto. The Bucks gained the primary of three video games between the 2 groups on January 4, in extra time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the fourth match in a row on account of soreness in his left knee
Late Monday afternoon, Budenholzer stated he wasn’t positive if Antetokounmpo would miss Tuesday night time’s recreation — which might give him 9 days between his ultimate recreation on Jan. 11 in Atlanta and a possible return on Saturday in Cleveland.
By Tuesday afternoon, Antetokounmpo had already been dominated out of the Raptors’ recreation, the fourth in a row he is missed on account of soreness in his left knee. It is the longest quantity of video games the 28-year-old has missed this season. He missed two consecutive video games and recovered six days from November 8-13.
However he is had warm-ups on the Fiserv discussion board every of the previous two days.
“He is doing a whole lot of work within the weight room, he is performing some work within the courtroom, he is performing some warm-ups, all of these issues are a part of preserving his knee, preserving every thing the place he can play at a excessive stage,” Budenholzer stated. “I do know it is recreation three or 4 now and that is not what you need, however in our eyes we’re nonetheless cheering and really hopeful he is in a very good place. We’re simply working by way of one other season with him.”
Antetokounmo missed 5 matches from December 15-23, 2021, whereas on well being and security protocol and 6 matches from April 3-14, 2021 with a sprained left knee.
In an eight-game interval from December 19 to January. 4, Antetokounmpo performed 37.6 minutes per recreation and averaged 39.1 factors, 14.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists, a private historical past stretch that noticed him report 55 factors on January 3, after 40 consecutive factors and 20 rebounding video games and a 30-21-10 triple-double report.
However beginning January 6 towards Charlotte, his offensive manufacturing has dropped dramatically. He averaged simply 17 factors on 36% taking pictures, together with two single-digit scoring efforts. He was 3-for-10 in Atlanta on January 11 earlier than being shut out on January 12.
Bucks tickets: Season ticket costs in {dollars} could also be decrease from 2023 to 2024
Newest recreation bucks:Protection, Jrue Vacation key victory towards the Pacers at Fiserv Discussion board
Enjoying the sport is stealing Jrue Vacation acrobatics
Vacation imposed his will at each ends of the sector, however of all his spectacular particular person performs, from a three-step again to a slick footwork within the paint, none was higher than stealing an acrobatic move by VanVleet. Not solely did Vacation deflect the ball onto himself, however he saved it from VanVleet into the ready arms of Allen, who promptly went down and drained a three-pointer.
The sport video is a poster of Bobby Portis
Bucks massive man Bobby Portis put it up with authority between Raptors fullbacks Scotty Barnes and Anunobi, which might have been a spotlight in its personal proper, however was additionally simply Portis’ thirteenth dunk of the season.
Greenback harm report
- Antetokounmpo (left knee ache), out
- Middleton (proper knee ache), out
Middleton educated with the Wisconsin Herd on Tuesday afternoon. That is his third observe prior to now week.
“It went properly,” Budenholzer stated. “The extra five-on-five he will get, the higher. He retains pushing that envelope when he can, so, he is not simple to seek out in a season but it surely’s good for him to have that.”
- Serge Ibaka (private), out
Who does Pax play subsequent?
The Bucks get a number of days off earlier than heading to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers at 6:30 PM on Saturday. This would be the fourth and ultimate contest between the Central Division rivals, and the Bucks have an opportunity to win the season collection and tiebreaker with a victory. However, Cleveland gained the final recreation on December 21 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse behind Donovan Mitchell’s 36 factors.