Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Jan. 27 at Toronto Raptors

The Milwaukee Bucks have lost some winnable games recently. With a back-to-back set of games against the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics awaiting, the Bucks now need to start winning lose-able games quickly.

The Milwaukee Bucks may not be a basketball juggernaut or anything, but losing to the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid is rough. The Bucks can’t afford to linger though, as they’ve got a tough road ahead.

Milwaukee hasn’t handled back-to-backs particularly well this season, and the one coming up on Friday and Saturday will be a challenge. First up is the Toronto Raptors on Friday, followed by the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

More from Bucks News

• Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
• Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
• Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
• Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
• New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited

Toronto has been sliding recently, losing five straight games and currently sitting just one game ahead of the Celtics for the second spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks might be able to take advantage of that slide and sneak out of Toronto with a win, if they bring their A game across the border.

The Raptors still have an incredible offense, but with DeMar DeRozan sitting it will be a bit harder for Toronto to score tons of points. The Raptors defense has been unable to keep up with the team’s skilled offense–Toronto is 3rd in offensive rating, but 21st in defensive rating.

To see how that and other factors could end up deciding this game for either team, we’ll look at major keys for both squads to win, followed by a Raptor to watch and some predictions.