Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 110-96 loss to Toronto Raptors

Feb 18, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Feb 18, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
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Feb 18, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Feb 18, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

Takeaway no. 2 from loss to Toronto Raptors — Khris Middleton’s poor performance

Another night, another extended sight of seeing Khris Middleton shrink under literal pressure from the Raptors’ terrorizing defense.

Much like his outing in the Bucks’ loss to the Raptors Tuesday night, Middleton had no recourse yet again when faced up against the swarming Raptors defenders that came his way whenever he touched the ball on any side of the floor. And with his handle clearly loose, the two-time All-Star matched his season-high of six turnovers as he struggled to initiate the Bucks’ offense.

That high-level amount of defensive pressure affected his scoring, his comfort shooting the ball and playmaking, which led to one of Middleton’s worst performances on the year. And looking overtasked on the defensive end in part due to Holiday’s absence, Middleton has increasingly followed the way of the Bucks’ play over this losing streak.

All in all, Middleton finished with 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting (0-for-3 from downtown, 3-for-3 from the foul line), eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and was a -16 in just over 37 minutes of run.