TORONTO — The Milwaukee Bucks improved to 2-0 with a scrappy 122-116 victory at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Oct. 24, besting the Raptors in their home opener.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 31 points and also pulled down 20 rebounds and handed out seven assists. Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. added 20 points, including a crucial 3-pointer late that effectively clinched the game at 118-111 with under a minute left.
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“It’s always great, given a certain opportunity that you’ve been waiting on to come through that you want, so it’s great that he drew it up, I’m glad we got the win,” Trent said. “Giannis had a terrific performance tonight, 30 and 20, a monster, it was much needed. We needed all of it.”
Antetokounmpo’s rebounding effort included seven on the offensive end.
“You just gotta match their physicality and match their energy,” said Antetokounmpo. “And that was my mindset coming into this game because I know that they have guys that will pick me up full-court and make it very tough for me all game long.
“This is what I’ve been seeing the last couple years whenever I play here and I just had the mindset of just play with energy and make plays.”
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Cole Anthony had 23 off the bench while Ryan Rollins (13) and Bobby Portis Jr. (11) also reached double figures.
The balanced scoring helped offset 19 turnovers for the Bucks, which allowed the Raptors to score 16 points. Milwaukee gave it away just three times in the decisive fourth quarter however, while forcing six Toronto turnovers.
“We stopped turning the ball over − I think we had (three) turnovers in the fourth quarter − that was No. 1,” Rivers said of the victory. “I thought our rebounding was exceptional. And then we executed. Like, we came out of the one timeout and drew up the one play with ‘GT’ getting the three.
“So, execution, rebounding, taking care of the ball. And then I thought we forced them into some tough shots. We forced turnovers in the fourth quarter instead of us giving turnovers up.”
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Giannis Antetokounmpo has historic night
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks scores a lay up during the second half against the Toronto Raptors.
Antetokounmpo’s stat line marked the seventh game of his career where he had at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and five assists, tying Denver’s Nikola Jokić for the most career games for active players reaching that threshold. Karl-Anthony Towns is third with three.
Antetokounmpo trails only Jokić among active players with career games of at least 30-20-7, as it was his third career game with that line. He is just the eighth player in NBA history to have at least three games with those minimums.
“I mean, like, he’s the best player in the world in my opinion,” said Bucks guard Cole Anthony. “He’s a beast. And he’s out there and he just affects the game in so many different ways maybe it’s why you’re not checking like ‘oh, he’s got 20 rebounds, too.’ You’re looking at the (31) points, you’re looking at the seven assists, you’re looking at him holding down the paint and locking stuff down.
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“He’s a heck of a player, man. It’s really different getting to see him every day in practice and in games than seeing him a couple times a year. I’m like yo, this dude’s a beast.”
Bucks newcomer Amir Coffey said Antetokounmpo’s stat line felt quiet, which is something Taurean Prince could relate to. Now in his second season with the Bucks, Prince acknowledged a 30-20-7 line is, well, casual.
Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after hitting a 3-point basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Scotiabank Arena.
“It is for ‘GA,'” Prince told the Journal Sentinel. “It is is casual for ‘GA.’ I mean, it’s just casual to me. I didn’t even know. And when I did know it didn’t surprise. So we just gotta keep trying to make the game as easy as possible for him and then I think continue to acclimate (Bucks center) Myles (Turner) and the new guys and I think it’s only the start. We still have a lot to get better at.”
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Not only did Antetokounmpo score 31 points, he did it on 11 of 14 shooting from the field for a robust 78.6%. He was 2 of 2 from behind the 3-point line and 7 of 12 from the free throw line.
“It’s like, ‘when did that happen?'” Coffey said of Antetokounmpo’s performance. “He’s efficient. He makes all the right plays. He’s a dominant player. He’s so fun to watch.”
Antetokounmpo now has 54 games of shooting at least 70% from the floor while scoring 30 points, which is sixth-most all-time.
Turner has been on the receiving end of some of Antetokounmpo’s biggest games as a longtime Indiana defender.
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“We’re literally witnessing greatness, man, night in and night out,” Turner told the Journal Sentinel. “It’s an honor to be a part of. It’s funny − I’m not gonna say who − but a guy on the other team was literally like, ‘God, he’s a monster, we don’t know what to do.’
“I’ve been on the receiving end of that but being on the other side of it is great. I don’t take it for granted and I don’t take it lightly, either.
“I think it’s an honor to watch the way he works night in and night out and the results are just a byproduct of the work he puts in.”
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Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks works against defender Immanuel Quickley of the Toronto Raptors during the first half at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 24 in Toronto.
Ryan Rollins, Cole Anthony step in for injured Kevin Porter Jr.
After dropping a pair of shoes near the bench, Kevin Porter Jr. walked off the court at Scotiabank Arena following the Bucks shootaround in socks and slides, with no apparent extra support on his sprained left ankle.
But with Porter out for the game, that meant a shift in rotations for the Bucks. Ryan Rollins started (which he did 19 times last season, many in place of an injured Damian Lillard) and Cole Anthony would lead the second unit.
Following the team’s morning shootaround, Anthony and Rollins maintained that their overall approach would not (and should not) change – though both acknowledged that being more conscientious defensively mattered.
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Anthony was whistled for five fouls in 12 minutes against Washington and said he didn’t help the team with his three early fouls, while Rollins had three fouls in 29 minutes.
The pair stayed out of foul trouble in the first half in Toronto and combined for 12 points and three assists. The duo pressed the issue offensively further in the third quarter, combining for another 13 to help the Bucks stay close despite the team as a whole from behind the 3-point line.
In the deciding fourth quarter, Rollins had two steals and two points early and Anthony was on the floor to close it out.
The veteran point guard then helped the Bucks do just that, scoring nine points and handing out three assists.
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Bucks have uneven night in paint, close it down in fourth
The Raptors were just 6 of 25 (24%) from behind the 3-point line in their season-opening win over Atlanta, but they put up 95 shots and scored a whopping 86 points in the paint on 71.7% shooting (43 of 60).
“That’s ridiculous, I’m not gonna lie,” Anthony said at Bucks shootaround. “I’ve never heard no number like that.”
Altogether, they scored 96 of their 138 points from inside the arc on 68.6% shooting (48 of 70).
“We just gotta hit them first and don’t let the volume of them shooting and scoring slow us down on our defensive intensity,” Rollins said before the game. “They’re gonna shoot their shots and they’re gonna be aggressive but we just gotta have good defense and make them shoot bull (expletive) shots, as they say.”
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The Bucks did a good job of that in the first quarter, allowing 19 points on 33% shooting, and the Raptors found the paint clogged (4-for-11, eight points).
But Toronto responded and pushed the tempo in the second quarter, getting to the painted area with more speed. It helped keep the Milwaukee defense on its heels, and the Raptors scored 35 points on 63% shooting – including an 11 of 14 (78.6%) mark from the painted area for 22 points.
Coming out of the half, the Bucks once again cinched the paint as the Raptors scored just eight points on 4 of 10 shooting in the painted area in the third. Toronto then jumped back into the lane in the fourth, making seven of their first nine shots in the paint to tie the game 107-107 with 4 minutes, 42 seconds left in the game.
But, in the closing minutes, they buckled down yet again.
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“I think it was a collective determination,” Turner said of the closing stretch. “We came into the huddle and we said that one, we need to rebound. They make a big calling card out of rebounding. We know they attack the paint and typically when they’re shooting threes or miss shots they get the rebound. Once we got that under control it made life a little bit easier.”
Toronto was only able to get up three shots in the paint, and the Raptors missed all three as the Bucks stretched their lead to three possessions in the final minute. Toronto added a late layup to make it 121-116, but the Bucks did enough inside defensively down the stretch to win.
“I just think it goes into the IQ of the coaching staff and it trickles down to the players, just being able to know what we don’t want to give up,” Prince told the Journal Sentinel. “You have the whole game to assess how they play, what they’re doing, so (the coaches) putting the personnel out there that they thought best fit to get as many stops as possible is what they did.”
Official Randy Mott leaves game early due to injury
According to the NBA, official Rodney Mott suffered a lower leg injury and had to exit the game and could not return. Scott Foster and Matt Kallio finished out the contest.
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Did you notice?
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes stood over Giannis Antetokounmpo and mimicked Antetokounmpo’s shoulder roll flex at the 3-minute, 44-second mark of the second quarter after Barnes scored on back-to-back plays over the Milwaukee star. Antetokounmpo had flexed in that way on the Raptors after fighting through contact for a dunk in the first quarter.
“It was a tech. it was a tech,” Antetokounmpo said of the play. “In my opinion, that’s a tech, because he taunted. Obviously, I think he’s a great talent, but if you’re talking about that specific play, that’s a tech.”
That said, Antetokounmpo added that he loves it when younger players are coming at him, because it was something he did when he was trying to make a name for himself in the NBA.
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What time is the Bucks game?
Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT. The Raptors moved their game time up to accommodate fans and residents who want to watch Game 1 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rogers Centre is a 10-minute walk from ScotiaBank Arena.
What time is the World Series?
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
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Is Giannis playing?
Yes. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the injury report with a new injury, which is a sprained left big toe. He began the day as probable to play vs. the Raptors.
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Antetokounmpo began the season on the injury report with soreness in his lower back, and then against the Wizards he suffered a scary fall on his right hand and wrist in the fourth quarter, but remained in the game.
Kevin Porter Jr., out (left ankle sprain) — The Bucks ruled Porter out for the game against the Raptors and at Cleveland on Oct. 26 after he suffered an ankle sprain on Oct. 22 vs. Washington. Porter is on the trip but Doc Rivers said it was not an indicator of the injury’s severity. “I don’t ever know why we have guys travel or not. I don’t think there’s anything to read into that. I guarantee you he’s not playing the next game.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo, probable (left big toe sprain)
Bucks projected starting lineup
Guards: Gary Trent Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green
Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo
What channel are the Bucks on?
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Stephen Watson on the call.
Bucks vs. Raptors odds, over/under
Milwaukee is a 1.5-point favorite over Toronto and the over/under is 233.5 points per BetMGM.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo has historic night as Bucks top Raptors, 122-116