Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Jan 1 at Toronto Raptors

Major key for Milwaukee – Set down a marker

The Bucks have no problem getting motivated to play the league’s better teams. For evidence of this, you can look no further than the Bucks’ past four games, with losses to the Hornets and Bulls, and wins over the Timberwolves and Thunder.

In other words, a matchup against the Raptors, consistently one of the East’s best teams isn’t necessarily the kind of game the Bucks would seem likely to under-perform in.

Considering the recent history between these teams, there’s even more reason for Milwaukee to want to prove a point, though.

Having lost three-in-a-row after taking a 2-1 lead in last year’s first round series, the Bucks will be eager to remind Toronto of just what they’re capable of.

Much has been talked about how much the Raptors have changed since last year’s series, but the addition of Eric Bledsoe means a similar sentiment also applies for the Bucks.

There’s a real chance that these two teams could face off in the postseason again this year, and so drawing first blood will be important to both groups. How that influences the Raptors remains to be seen, but in Milwaukee’s case, a focused goal like that often leads to some of their best performances.