Behind the Bucks Pass
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Milwaukee Bucks Lose To Toronto Raptors 87-76 In Rough Game 4

By Ti Windisch

Apr 22, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) battles Toronto Raptors forward PJ Tucker (2) for the ball during the third quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) battles Toronto Raptors forward PJ Tucker (2) for the ball during the third quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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In Game 4 the Milwaukee Bucks fell apart against the Toronto Raptors, and allowed the Raps to tie up the series at 2 games apiece.

Right from the jump on Saturday afternoon, something was different when the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Toronto Raptors. Raptors coach Dwane Casey made his first lineup change of the series, starting Norman Powell in place of Jonas Valanciunas.

Game 4 definitely started off differently than Game 3 did. On Thursday Milwaukee jumped out to a massive lead by the end of the first quarter, in a game where the Raptors would never hold a lead.

Conversely, Toronto grabbed the lead early on in the first quarter of Game 4. The Raptors got a huge start from Serge Ibaka in the very early going, and DeMar DeRozan got going in the first quarter to the tune of six points.

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Still, although the Raptors at one point held a lead, Khris Middleton wouldn’t let them keep it. He hit two straight shots to end the quarter, including a beautiful fadeaway that tied the score at 19, where it would sit as the second quarter commenced.

The Bucks would pull ahead to a tiny, brief lead to start the second quarter, only for Toronto to tie up the score right afterwards. Milwaukee struggled to build a real lead early on thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo struggling.

Giannis missed five of his first six shots and committed three turnovers in his first 12 minutes of action. Middleton stepping up along with Greg Monroe continuing his great play kept Milwaukee in the game even without Giannis doing exceptionally well.

Milwaukee took the lead back thanks to some amazing opportunistic defense from Jason Terry, who grabbed a steal then an offensive rebound/steal hybrid that both led to Bucks layups. The Bucks surge without him must’ve woke up Giannis.

The Greek Freak snapped out of his early-game slump in the second quarter, with a nice layup followed by a nice jumped followed by a mind-bending transition dunk right on DeMar DeRozan’s head.

The BMO Harris Bradley Center erupted, but the Bucks lead was just seven points at 33-26. The Raptors then battled back, bringing the score to 33-33 by attacking inside constantly, especially DeRozan.

DeRozan carried the Raps early, scoring 17 of their first 33 points himself and ending the half with 21 of Toronto’s 41 points. The two teams were all knotted up at the half, with nobody able to completely take over.

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Giannis and DeRozan battled back and forth, and Giannis bounced back from his rough start to have 12 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals and two blocks at halftime.

In the third quarter, Tony Snell asserted himself. Snell made a deep two followed by back-to-back three-pointers to keep Milwaukee involved. DeRozan and the Raptors would follow with a run of their own though, busting out a 9-0 run to give Toronto a 61-53 lead.

The game really slowed down in the second half of the third quarter. The Bucks finally started getting to the foul line, but poor foul shooting robbed Milwaukee of the opportunity to really tighten up the score. With 12 minutes left on the clock, the Raptors held a 64-58 lead.

Greg Monroe proceeded to refuse to let the Bucks die in the game’s final period. With DeRozan and the Raptors continuing to score, Monroe did as well. He fought for offensive rebounds and second chance points, but unfortunately a missing contact lens cost him some made free throws.

Still, Moose’s hustle brought Milwaukee within five with around five minutes left. Unfortunately, the Bucks then let Toronto build up the lead with sloppy offensive play and poor defense on the other end.

New starter Powell made both free throws after being fouled on a fast break and then nailed a three to give the Raptors a 10 point lead with four minutes left. This felt like the point in which it might be too late for Milwaukee to stage a comeback.

It ended up playing out that way despite a Tony Snell three that breathed just a little bit of life into Milwaukee’s efforts. The Raptors kept going at the Bucks and eventually won by 11, 87-76.

The turnovers and missed free throws tell the story of a Bucks team caught off-guard by the Raptors going small. Milwaukee turned the ball over 20 times after averaging 10 turnovers per game over their first three battles with Toronto, and the Bucks missed seven of 18 attempted free throws.

Giannis failed to make a shot in the second half, and ended the game with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks and seven turnovers. He shot just six-for-19 from the field.

Middleton wasn’t much better, if at all. Khris shot four-for-13 from the field and put up 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and four turnovers.

Next: 5 Notes On Giannis' Playoff Performance

It’s hard not to be disappointed with the poor effort the Bucks put forth in front of the home crowd, but Milwaukee will have a shot to take back the series lead in Game 5 in Toronto on Monday night.

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