NBA in Threes: Nikola Jokic and too much eating; LeBron rolling early
By Jade Johnson
Milwaukee Bucks
It doesn’t come as any surprise that the Milwaukee Bucks were looking for a little payback against the Toronto Raptors. I mean, losing four straight games in a playoff series after going up 2-0 is bound to leave a bad taste in a team’s mouth. And the Bucks got it done.
A 10-point win always says a little something but it doesn’t always tell the whole story. For instance, it doesn’t tell you that the Bucks allowed a 26-point lead to get cut down to four during the course of this game. That should never happen. The Bucks benefited from a poor shooting night by the Raptors and should have cruised through this game with a commanding lead throughout.
That said, there are definitely some props to be handed out to the Bucks albeit begrudgingly by this particular observer. Four of the Buck’s starting five had really good games with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way with 36 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, a steal, and four blocks. MVP numbers if ever I saw them. The Bucks also did a better job of getting points at the rim than did the Raptors.
The other thing the 10-point win doesn’t tell you is that the Bucks defense wasn’t as good as a 10 point win. The Raptors missed a lot of open looks in that game. Had the Raptors shot even as close to as well as they did in their last game against the Detroit Pistons, this game analysis would, no doubt, have a very different tone.
The final thing I will say about this is that if ever the Toronto Raptors organization decides it’s appropriate to drop confetti because of a win in their 6th game of the season over a team that ended their previous season… that’s the day I go back to being a Detroit Pistons fan.