Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory in rematch versus Toronto Raptors

Third key to victory in rematch versus Toronto Raptors — Milwaukee Bucks need their top players to step up

Circling back to Holiday’s absence, the Bucks have not played their best basketball of the season without him. They are clearly missing a spark without him, and players have no exactly stepped up to fill the void in his absence, which was apparent Tuesday against the Raptors.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had an MVP-caliber performance by finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals, and two blocks. Behind Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s next best contributions came from a pair of reserves. Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis combined to score an impressive 36 points off the bench, one of the few positive takeaways from the contest.

Aside from these three, the contributions were rather minimal across the board, particularly from others in Milwaukee’s starting five. Khris Middleton logged just 11 points on eight shots attempts, which is inexcusable for him across 37 minutes of action. Starting center Brook Lopez finished with just 9 points on 2-of-5 shooting, and Donte DiVincenzo poured in 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting (1-of-8 from the perimeter).

If the Bucks will get back on the right track with a win tonight, especially if Holiday misses his sixth consecutive game, they will need their top players to step up to the challenge.

In particular, Middleton should look to get more involved, as eight shot attempts from him is not ideal, given his pedigree as a scorer. The Raptors did their part defensively to limit him the other night, but the Bucks will need him to be more aggressive.

With that taken into account, the Bucks face a tall task in trying to regain their momentum with a win tonight. This should be another thrilling game, and you can catch the action at 6:30 p.m. CST on TNT and Fox Sports Wisconsin.