The Milwaukee Bucks’ matchup with the Toronto Raptors Monday night saw the defeat of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s record-breaking streak, but the team finally woke up enough to emerge victorious, 128-104.
Needing to play just 29 minutes and attempt eight shots in the Bucks road rout, Giannis finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists for his fifth triple double this season. His historic compilation of 20+ point performances on 50% shooting ended at 27 games, two better than the previous record shared by Shaquille O’Neal and Zion Williamson.
Damian Lillard scored a team-high 25 points on just 12 field goal attempts, pulling the cord on an efficiency slump (42% shooting or worse every game) dating back to the NBA Cup championship.
For Milwaukee (18-16), it was a cathartic performance after dropping four in a row to opponents with losing records.
Milwaukee Bucks Bury Toronto Raptors Beneath a Firestorm From Deep
Earlier this afternoon, the Bucks announced Khris Middleton out for the game due to ankle injury management, resulting in the addition of Taurean Prince to the starting lineup. Prince notched a solid game, scoring 8 points to go with 4 assists and 3 steals, and saw his most court time since November.
Ex-Raptor Gary Trent Jr. provided substantial reinforcement of the bench, stinging his former team for 17 points on 6-9 from the floor.
As a team, Milwaukee shooters incinerated the Raptors all game, going 22 of 44 from distance.
Toronto got forward RJ Barrett back for the game after missing him in their last three, but 25 points and 9 rebounds from the potential Bucks trade target wasn’t nearly enough.
Last week, consecutive three-point losses to the Portland Trail Blazers (12-23) and the Brooklyn Nets (one win better) led both Giannis and coach Doc Rivers to express frustration about the team’s play. Finally beating up on bad opposition, as this team should, provided major relief.
Benefits of a Blowout for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks
It wasn’t just winning, but absolutely demolishing the opponent that felt so satisfying about Milwaukee’s night in Toronto. Any fan who felt a familiar queasy sensation–here we go again–can’t be faulted. The Bucks started 2-9 from the field and surrendered an early run to fall behind 13-8. Midway through the first quarter, Giannis turned it over on back-to-back possessions on his way to 7 giveaways for the game.
Fortunately, a Taurean Prince triple got things going and the Bucks didn’t look back from there.
Following the Portland loss, Giannis lamented, “I gotta be more aggressive, I think I can help the team more and not just facilitate, get guys open looks more and defend harder.”
Due to the blowout, his scoring services weren’t called upon all that often against the Raptors, but a focus on facilitating worked just fine for the perennial MVP candidate.
Getting to take an early seat also supplied a major boon to tired legs. The trip to Toronto was the Bucks’ fourth game in a stretch spanning from December 31 through January 19 in which they have no more than a day of rest between games. Tonight, no starter played more than 32 minutes.
Postgame two days ago, Giannis also referenced being depleted on the heels of his illness, so not having to shoulder a heavy load can only have positive effects moving forward.
Milwaukee next flies home to host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
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