In what seemed to be the ugliest NBA game of the season, last night’s contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors ended up being an overtime thriller.
Milwaukee picked up their second straight win behind a 30-point, 21-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Grayson Allen stepped up in overtime to hit the game-winning 3-point shot. The Raptors were down by as much as 20 points near the end of the fourth quarter and were able to make a huge run and send the game to overtime; props to them. Fred VanVleet led the way for Toronto with 28 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds. Let’s look at three takeaways from the game.
The Milwaukee Bucks overcame a huge fourth-quarter collapse against the Toronto Raptors
For most of the fourth quarter, Milwaukee was in total control of this game. Giannis was putting up big scoring numbers for the quarter and others started to follow his lead, but the hot shooting of Toronto down the stretch was something else.
Milwaukee had a 20-point lead inside five minutes before Toronto’s offense went nuclear. Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet were able to knock down multiple 3-point baskets during the run, and Scottie Barnes was able to find success on the inside despite having a very rough game up until that point.
A flagrant foul committed by Grayson Allen allowed the Raptors to come within three points of the Bucks. Trent Jr. was able to knock down the shot despite the contact. Following the 3-point basket, Milwaukee moved the ball down the court until Bobby Portis was cornered by Pascal Siakam. Portis was clearly shoved out of bounds by Siakam, and the refs missed that call, but that is no excuse for the defense Milwaukee displayed down the stretch of that fourth quarter.
Once again Trent Jr. was able to knock down a 3-point basket to send the game to overtime. As far as overtime goes, it was ugly to start. Giannis picked up two offensive fouls in a matter of minutes. Allen stepped up in a big way with a driving layup and a put-away 3-pointer with a minute on the clock. It was truly a wild series of events and a shocking ending to a great game.