Milwaukee Bucks: Recent History Against Toronto Raptors
By Adam McGee
2016-17: Raptors Win 3-1
Having fallen a long way below expectations in the previous season, the Bucks entered the current campaign facing much more uncertainty.
Luckily, at this point we all know that everything turned out for the better with Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming a fully formed superstar, but with injuries to Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker, the matchups with the Raptors weren’t made any easier.
Raptors 105, Bucks 99; Nov. 25, 2016 – Bradley Center
After a mixed start to the season, the Bucks welcomed the Raptors to Milwaukee for the first time on the season with a dominant performance from Giannis. The Greek Freak had 29 points, 11 assists and six rebounds on 12-17 shooting, as Toronto had no answer for the man who would go on to earn All-Star honors.
Fortunately for the Raptors, they managed to keep all of Giannis’ teammates quiet. DeRozan and Lowry did the bulk of the heavy lifting in combining for 45 points, but DeMarre Carroll, Jonas Valanciunas and Patrick Patterson also helped to push Toronto to victory.
Bucks 100, Raptors 122; Dec. 12, 2016 – Air Canada Centre
After a close loss in the first clash between the teams to start the season, the Bucks were unable to keep things particularly close on this visit to Air Canada Centre.
Giannis was again able to get close to whatever he wanted out of the game, finishing with 30 points, nine rebounds and five assists. On the other side, DeMar DeRozan was able to match his tally with 30 points of his own.
The battle between the two teams’ starters was hard-fought, but Terrence Ross swung the game in Toronto’s favor with 25 points off the bench. Heading into the playoffs, Milwaukee will be grateful that Ross now plays for the Orlando Magic.
Bucks 86, Raptors 102; Jan. 27, 2017 – Air Canada Centre
Kyle Lowry hasn’t generally had the best of games against the Bucks. Lowry has consistently done what his teammates needed him to do to maximize the team’s performance, but rarely taken over games. This particular occasion was an exception to that.
Lowry led all scorers with 32 points, allowing the Raptors to pull away from a Bucks team who got a combined 40 points from Antetokounmpo and Parker, but only had one other player cross into double digits. If the Bucks want to compete in the playoffs, they’ll need more from their role players.
Raptors 94, Bucks 101; Mar. 4, 2017 – Bradley Center
Having lost seven straight games against the Raptors since their last win, which itself ended a six game losing streak against Toronto, the Bucks finally got another win over their rivals from the North.
How did they do it? Of course, it was with what can be best described as the Spencer Hawes game. Hawes had 16 points in a remarkable burst of first half play off the bench, adding just the kind of boost the Bucks needed alongside impressive performances from Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Malcolm Brogdon.
This was the only game the Bucks played against the Raptors with Khris Middleton this season, but with Kyle Lowry absent for Toronto, it’s impossible to take anything significant from it.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Player Power Rankings (April 6-April 12)
What will happen in the next chapter of Bucks/Raptors games? We’ll find out starting on Saturday, but for the Bucks’ sake let’s hope it’s a change from recent trends.