The Milwaukee Bucks won the second game of their home back-to-back, beating the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
It’s not something we’ve been able to say often recently, but Saturday’s win was full of positives for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Khris Middleton played in his first back to back, the Bucks defeated an elite caliber playoff team for the second straight night and Spencer Hawes had a big game in his first meaningful minutes as a Buck.
The Bucks struggled to get off the starting block, quickly falling behind the Toronto Raptors 11-2 in the opening minutes. The Bucks managed to get about three feet outside the starting gate, scoring six points at the three minute mark of the first quarter. They stepped their game up over the lost three minutes to score six more points and finish the quarter down 19-12. The Bucks’ defense made up for their horrific offensive play, keeping them within striking distance.
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Milwaukee started the second quarter on what at the time felt like a monumental 5-0 run, before going on to take a 24-23 lead early in the second quarter. Hawes came off the bench to make big contributions in that period, scoring 14 points on 5-5 from the field, 2-2 from three, and 2-3 from the line.
The Bucks outscored the Raptors 41-23 in the second quarter, and went into the half up 53-42. The Bucks’ defense kept them in the game until they could get hot, and the Raptors had five turnovers to Milwaukee’s one. The Bucks also won the three-point battle in the half, with four makes to Toronto’s two.
The third quarter went the Bucks’ way, as they were able to build on their lead by two points. Giannis got involved, attacking the rim with his usual level of disdain. He was helped by Khris Middleton, who stripped his opponent in the backcourt and took it all the way to the rim finishing through contact for an and-one. The Bucks finished the quarter up 80-67.
James. Khristian. Middleton. pic.twitter.com/DUDcQQSSV9
— Behind the Buck Pass (@BehindTheBucks) March 5, 2017
Heading into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, the Bucks just needed to keep playing their game. The Raptors are a playoff team for a reason, and they inevitably went on their own run, cutting the game to a 86-82 lead.
Giannis took over, going iso on back-to-back possessions. The first possession he was in a one-on-two situation, he crossed up the first man, got the angle, slid past him with his hip, and laid one in over Serge Ibaka. The next possession he crossed over his man, stepped back, controlled himself, and fired away a mid-range shot to extend the lead back to eight.
With the momentum in hand, the Bucks wouldn’t look back, claiming another big win. Let’s take a closer look at the key takeaways from the action.