Here are five takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 118-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
1. The Raptors were strong through three quarters but folded in the fourth against the league’s best team. Toronto scored 39 points in the third, including 19 from Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, to lead by six but that was quickly erased when Brook Lopez opened the fourth with an 8-0 run capped by a reverse dunk to put the Bucks ahead.
Failing to match Jakob Poeltl with Lopez allowed the 7-foot behemoth to charge free against the Raptors’ skinny 6-foot-9 forwards, which set the way for Lopez to single-handedly outscored Toronto 17-16 in the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Raptors failed to get organized on offence when VanVleet went to the bench, and possessions broke down into Pascal Siakam backing down a physical defender into a very crowded paint, Gary Trent Jr. trying to sneak backdoor with Lopez swatting away his attempts with impunity, and a pair of back-breaking missed jumpers from Will Barton who finished scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting off the bench.
By the time the Raptors regained their footing in the game, the Bucks had already regained the lead, and a few uncharacteristic turnovers from VanVleet and Poeltl ended the comeback. Toronto needed to play a perfect game to beat the Bucks who improve to 51-20 on the season while the Raptors missed their fifth shot at cracking .500.
2. VanVleet and Anunoby produced the best offence for the Raptors, while Siakam was a distant third. VanVleet continues to be in a great rhythm both on and off the ball, creating easy offence in pick-and-roll with Poeltl, while regaining some of his penchant for making tough shots of nothing when the play breaks down. VanVleet nailed a pull-up three over Jrue Holiday in the fourth, and made a one-legged fading rainbow jumper off the glass over Giannis Antetokounmpo as the shot clock was expiring in the third.
VanVleet went cold in the fourth with two turnovers and 1-for-7 shooting, but much of that comes down to the offence breaking down as a whole in the fourth. For Anunoby, he was the go-to option along with the second unit in the second quarter, and he nailed a midrange jumper, a pull-up three, and bullied Khris Middleton under the rim for a layup.
Otherwise, Anunoby continues to be a very efficient option on catch-and-shoot and transition opportunities with the starters. Siakam had his way with Middleton, but mostly played within the flow of the offence and took open jumpers which didn’t drop. He was frazzled at times to start the fourth as the Bucks ramped up their physicality against him, but Siakam eventually figured it out and dished out four assists including three to Poeltl and one to Anunoby when the double teams came his way.
3. As usual, Nick Nurse had a creative defensive gameplan for Antetokounmpo. The Raptors were diligent in getting back and building their high walls against the two-time MVP, and assigned their strongest forwards in Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa to absorb the initial charge.
Once Antetokounmpo was cut off and turned his back, double teams came flying at him to disrupt the pass out, which worked well in their last meeting when he recorded 12 turnovers. This time, Antetokounmpo was much quicker to give up the ball and more accurate with his passes. Nurse also lined the Raptors up in zone when the second unit came in against Antetokounmpo, which worked well in the first half before the Bucks found seams in the third quarter.
Antetokounmpo was still able to break free at times, and each time he was able to get to the rim for dunks and layups for a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, but ultimately the Raptors did limit the greater danger of Antetokounmpo’s scoring. Rather, it was Lopez breaking free that carried the offence for the Bucks, as even Holiday was kept quiet for the most part.
4. Poeltl continues to be reliable but looked a bit lost at times in this game. Poeltl was more involved on offence than he was on defence, as he was often able to find gaps in the paint to catch it with some room against Lopez who always backs off in the paint, but Poeltl missed on a few of the floater looks that he would typically make, while being unable to always find space to shoot around Lopez at the hoop.
Defensively, the Raptors mostly focused on using guards and wings on the double teams on Antetokounmpo, while Poeltl’s role was to rotate over at the rim, but the Bucks mostly attacked from three so Poeltl’s effectiveness wasn’t felt since he wasn’t stationed where the shots were coming from. It didn’t help that Lopez is a unique matchup where he mostly spaces out well beyond the three-point line on offence when Antetokounmpo is on the floor, while flipping to something completely different when he sits.
That’s where Poeltl would have had a bigger impact, but Nurse had him on the bench for the beginning of the fourth which was regrettable. Milwaukee is a very particular matchup, so it’s not surprising that Poeltl would look a tad out of place in his first meeting against them with the Raptors.
5. Scottie Barnes left the game at halftime due to a wrist injury and did not return. X-rays came back negative on his wrist which was heavily tapped up to begin with, suggesting that the injury was picked up prior to this loss, but there also wasn’t a particularly noticeable play where he hanged it.
Barnes wasn’t heavily involved in the first half, but he provides size, switchability on offence, ball-handling, rebounding, and passing that is always useful regardless of how he’s used. Barnes could have easily taken Barton’s minutes in the fourth, for example.
References:
By: William Lou
Title: 5 things: Raptors go cold in fourth against league-best Bucks
Sourced From: www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/5-things-raptors-go-cold-in-fourth-against-league-best-bucks/
Published Date: 03-20-2023
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "We The North" actually mean?
The Toronto Raptors have used the phrase "We The North", also known by We The North Nation as an anthem. It was composed by Drake, producer Noah "40", Shebib.
Drake composed the song while he was staying in Toronto with a friend. With Kanye West, he finished his album Take Care. Drake decided to create lyrics about his hometown, while he was there. Drake wanted it be representative of all Canadians. The song speaks about unity and pride as well as hope.
Drake started working on the melody for We The North when he travelled to London to film the video of his single "Nice For What." He recorded the instrumental version of the song in one take.
While Drake was writing the lyrics for the track, 40 came up with the chorus. Drake heard the hook and asked 40 if he could record it. Together, they worked to create the final product.
The official music clip for "We The North Anthem", released on October 5, 2018, was made public. It featured Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes performing along with Drake and other musicians.
How did the Toronto Raptors do after Kawhi Leonard left town?
The Toronto Raptors enjoyed a historic year. The Raptors won 53 of their 53 games in 2020. All-Star point-guard Kyle Lowry played a major role in the team's success. Lowry averaged 19.7 ppg, 7.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest. Lowry was joined by fellow All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, who averaged 22.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell were key role players who made a strong contribution to the Raptors' roster. The team's talent, depth, and versatility helped them overcome injuries to Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.
The team was led and managed by Nick Nurse, Coach of the Year, and Pascal Siakam, All-NBA Second Teamer. . Siakam became a star thanks to bold strategic decisions made by Coach Nurse. He averaged nearly 20+ point per game. Kyle Lowry has been selected for the 2020 NBA All-Star squad, his sixth consecutive selection.
The playoffs began earlier than usual this year. They took place at the "Bubble", Bay Lake in Florida, near Orlando. The Raptors were defeated by the Brooklyn Nets, winning 4-0. The Raptors lost 0-2 against Boston Celtics. However, OG Anunoby's buzzer-beater won Toronto the third and final game. The series reached seven games and Boston prevailed.
Can you name the number of NBA teams in Canada?
The Toronto Raptors were the Canadian NBA's only team in 2001. The Vancouver Grizzlies, a former NBA team, moved to Memphis in 2001 and became the Memphis Grizzlies. Canada did have two NBA teams during the late 1990s: the Vancouver Grizzlies, and the Toronto Raptors. However, no other Canadian cities have an NBA team. Canadians still love basketball and make trips to the United States to see the games. The Toronto Raptors are a well-known and popular team that has been around since 1995. They continue to attract large audiences for home games at Scotiabank Arena. Every year hundreds of Canadians make the trip to the United States for the NBA All-Star Weekend. Canada is home to more than one NBA franchise, thanks to its population of 38 million. Many basketball fans in North America have discussed and debated its potential for a second team. The Toronto Raptors are the only Canadian team in the NBA.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), a professional league of basketball, is located in Canada. The league includes six teams representing Canadian towns and cities: the Fraser Valley Bandits, Abbotsford (BC), Edmonton Stingers(Edmonton (Alberton), Guelph Nighthawks) Guelph Nighthawks [Guelph], Ontario], Hamilton Honey Badgers (“Hamilton”), Saskatchewan Rattlers (“Saskatoon”), and the Niagara River Lions (“St. Catharines”) The CEBL is Canada's only professional league for basketball.
The National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) was a professional men's basketball league that operated from 2011 to 2020. It included eight teams from Halifax and Moncton. Saint John. Cape Breton. Summerside. London. Windsor. Kitchener. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the NBLC ceased operation.
Canada also has junior leagues like the Canadian National Basketball League, which is a semiprofessional men's basketball league located in Vancouver, BC. CNB includes teams from British Columbia (Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario). The Canadian Elite Development League (CEDL) is another junior basketball league in Canada that fields teams primarily from the Greater Toronto Area. AC) as well as the Canadian Youth Basketball League. These leagues allow young basketball players to grow their skills while playing in a competitive environment.
Statistics
- This improved during the 2006–07 regular season to an average of 18,258 fans (13th in the league), 92.2 percent capacity at the Air Canada Centre. (en.wikipedia.org)
- In November of the 1996–97 season, Bitove sold his ownership interest in the team to Slaight for $65 million after Slaight had activated a shotgun clause in their partnership agreement,[32][33] giving Slaight 79 percent control of the team, [34] (en.wikipedia.org)
- As predicted by analysts, the team easily secured a berth in the 2001 NBA playoffs with a franchise-high 47 wins. (en.wikipedia.org)
- This improved during the 2006–07 regular season to an average of 18,258 fans (13th in the league), 92.2 percent capacity at the Air Canada Centre. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Thomas named Raptors' GM NBA superstar to have 10% stake in the new franchise". (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
basketball-reference.com
assets1.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/teams/toronto-raptors
nba.com/raptors
sportingnews.com/ca
How To
Can I bring my photo camera to a Raptors match?
If you follow the rules and plan, you'll be fine. It is acceptable to bring a camera to an NBA match. There's nothing illegal about it. You should be aware of the possible dangers.
First, think about whether you have to take photos during the match. It doesn't matter if you have a DSLR or a smartphone, as long you are close to the court, you may be able capture great shots.
These tips can help you take better photos of your favorite basketball games if you're serious about sports photography.
The second thing you must think about is which camera you are going to be using. If you want to shoot action shots, or share memorable moments with others, you need a professional grade camera.
Also, consider how much you're willing and able to spend on setting up your shot. A tripod and remote release are great options if you want to take your kids to the hoops.
The final step is to decide where to store your gear. It's not possible to expect someone to give you a memory card after you leave the arena. So you either need to pack a bag with extra batteries, cables, and SD cards or find somewhere to keep your stuff while watching the game.
You must plan in advance if you want to capture high-quality photographs of sporting events. It will allow you to capture amazing images that you can share with others.
Resources:
Did you miss our previous article...
https://raptorsrumors.com/news/canadas-gilgeousalexander-is-matching-nashs-greatness-but-could-he-surpass-it