The Milwaukee Bucks suffered their 12th defeat of the season Tuesday night, courtesy of a familiar foe, that being the Toronto Raptors.
It was a back and forth game between these two that consisted of 12 ties and 12 lead changes throughout 48 minutes of action as these two teams battled it out until the end. When the final buzzer sounded, the Raptors came out on top with the 124-113 victory over the struggling Bucks.
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The Bucks now find themselves in unfamiliar territory after having lost their last four consecutive games. The last time Milwaukee lost four games straight was in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against these very Raptors, minus a few select and notable players.
Nevertheless, the Bucks have looked awful in this recent stretch of games, and the level of concern is starting to reach an insurmountable height. The Bucks certainly have some soul searching to do in order to clean up this disastrous losing streak.
Before they get the chance to seek redemption against Toronto on Thursday, here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s contest.
First takeaway from loss to Toronto Raptors — The Milwaukee Bucks continue playing careless basketball without Jrue Holiday
The Bucks have looked deflated in these last four matchups, and it was fully apparent against the Raptors. Milwaukee looked careless controlling the basketball all night on the offensive end, racking up an abysmal 17 turnovers. Defensively, there were undoubtedly stretch where individuals were showing no urgency to get to their spots and slow down Toronto’s 3-point barrage.
This team looks lifeless at times, and a large part of it stems from the absence of starting point guard Jrue Holiday. The guard has been out for all four games during this losing streak due to the league’s health and safety protocols, and the Bucks have looked discombobulated as ever without him in the lineup. Holiday is someone that brings an immeasurable impact on both ends of the floor for this team, along with a sense of confidence that spreads among this roster like wildfire.
The other Bucks have certainly missed him as the losses continue piling up, and hopefully, he is doing well and progressing during his time away from the team. With Holiday out, the Bucks needed strong efforts from other contributors, and they got some off the bench Tuesday night.
Second takeaway from loss to Toronto Raptors — Bench contributions continue making an impact for the Milwaukee Bucks
The importance of the MBucks’ bench has been stressed repeatedly this season, and this second unit showed why Tuesday night.
Despite the loss, Pat Connaughton put together one of his strongest outings yet in his three-year tenure with the Bucks. The guard scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor (4-of-10 from deep) while grabbing five rebounds and blocking five shots in 31 minutes of burn. It was certainly a lopsided effort for Connaughton, as he scored just two of his 20 points in the second half, but there was no denying that he had it going throughout the first half.
Another Buck that provided a solid contribution off the bench was big man Bobby Portis. Portis has been on a tear this entire year, and he put together another strong performance with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting (2-of-3 from downtown) while also grabbing six rebounds in his 23 minutes of action. Connaughton and Portis helped keep this game competitive with their production off the bench, but it certainly hurt that not a single other reserve scored in the game.
Backup point guard D.J. Augustin had another lackluster night shooting the ball and managed to log yet another scoreless outing on 0-of-2 shooting. He did make an impact elsewhere in his 15 minutes, however, as he logged six assists. Defensive ace Torrey Craig missed his only shot attempt in just eight minutes of action, once again finding his minutes inconsistent.
Third takeaway from loss to Toronto Raptors — Khris Middleton lays an egg for the Milwaukee Bucks
With Jrue Holiday sidelined, the Bucks have been forced to rely on their top-guys more during this recent stretch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo took charge and put together another fantastic showing by tallying 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc. He also chipped in 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, and two blocks, but his stat-stuffing performance was not enough to elevate Milwaukee to victory.
While the two-time MVP did everything he could, the same could not be said for his counterpart in Khris Middleton. Middleton deserves some criticism for his efforts in the loss, as his performance against the Raptors was a headscratcher.
The two-time All-Star scored 11 points, shooting just 4-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3-point territory. He also logged five turnovers and four personal fouls in his 37 minutes, looking lost on the floor. Especially with Jrue Holiday out, Khris Middleton cannot shoot the ball just eight times.
Given the 50-40-90 shooting splits he is currently putting up while scoring over 20 points per game, Middleton is one of the most versatile scorers in the game today. The forward had his share of tough matchups against Toronto’s defense, but just eight shot attempts with zero assists is puzzling for a player of his stature. Middleton has proven what he is capable of multiple times this season, and hopefully, this outing was just a blip.
The Bucks will take on the Raptors once again on Thursday night in the second matchup of their ongoing eight-game homestand. You can catch the high-anticipated rematch at 6:30 p.m. CST on TNT as well as Fox Sports Wisconsin.