Earlier than the Toronto Raptors took the ground to host the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Darko Rajakovic had a heat embrace courtside with Damian Lillard, the famous person Milwaukee acquired this 12 months to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The NBA is a small neighborhood. Rajakovic and Lillard have been crossing paths within the Western Convention for practically a decade earlier than every of them made the transfer East for the primary time of their careers. It’s at all times good to see a well-recognized face.
There was a short window the place the first-year head coach might have had the long run hall-of-famer in his lineup with Toronto. The Raptors had discussions with the Portland Path Blazers and have been — per sources — keen to supply just about all their obtainable draft fairness and matching salaries to make the transfer. The plan was so as to add Lillard to their present core. The deal didn’t occur partially as a result of the Raptors wouldn’t embrace considered one of their youthful starters: Scottie Barnes or O.G. Anunoby.
The events moved on and Lillard arrived in Toronto as a member of the Bucks, amongst a shortlist of pre-season favourites to compete for an NBA title.
By means of 4 video games the Raptors have regarded principally like a group headed for the draft lottery, although there have been some promising play defensively and a few flashes of the kind of offence Rajakovic needs them to play. There simply hasn’t been something near the consistency a aggressive group wants, particularly offensively.
Heading into Wednesday’s recreation, Toronto was fourth within the NBA in defensive score and final in offensive effectivity.
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However regardless of coming into the sport on a three-game dropping streak and with a difficult street journey looming, it was the Raptors who regarded just like the group with championship hopes for lengthy stretches. The Bucks, constructing round their new famous person and their foundational one, regarded someplace between disinterested and never adequate. They regarded a little bit outdated and sluggish, too.
The 130-111 blowout win for Toronto is precisely the sort of proof of idea Rajakovic has certainly been in search of as his group has sputtered offensively. That wasn’t a problem in opposition to the defensively porous Bucks, who may has some points in that space as they fell to 2-2 on the season.
Toronto improved to 2-3 and recorded a season-high for factors, assists (35) and field-goal proportion (51.9) whereas connecting on 15 of 38 three-point makes an attempt. Pascal Siakam, who has regarded misplaced at occasions within the early going, performed like an all-star as he completed with 26 factors and 7 assists, whereas Barnes added 21 factors and 5 assists.
Anunoby had 16 factors whereas going 7-of-7 from the ground, however was extra importantly the first defender on Antetokounmpo, who regarded odd on his method to 16 factors and 4 rebounds. Raptors level guard Dennis Schroder acquired the perfect of Lillard, because the German star completed with 24 factors and 11 assists to fifteen and 6 from Lillard.
It will likely be arduous for the Raptors to play at a better degree, frankly, and is the increase of confidence they seemingly wanted as they set off on a four-game street journey that begins on Thursday night time in Philadelphia with stops to comply with in San Antonio, Dallas and Boston.
The Raptors’ begin might have been higher, which is saying one thing contemplating they led 31-18 after the primary quarter. The Raptors have been transferring the ball and looking for one another on cuts — simply what their coach wished. However passing might be an journey typically, and the Raptors confirmed why as they turned it over six occasions earlier than the sport was 5 minutes outdated and eight occasions within the quarter.
However when the passes discovered their targets, the outcomes have been spectacular. The Raptors racked up 10 first-quarter assists on 12 made discipline targets and softened their very own errors by forcing the Bucks into seven turnovers. Toronto hit its first 4 triples, considered one of its unassisted buckets coming when Barnes skipped right into a step-back three over Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP. He and the Raptors have been feeling it.
The Bucks didn’t look significantly interested by competing and there didn’t appear to be a lot chemistry between Antetokounmpo and Lillard – which needs to be seamless on paper given Lillard’s capacity to unfold the ground along with his capturing and Antetokounmpo’s capacity to eviscerate defences in house.
“You’ve acquired to select your poison, relying on the conditions,” mentioned Rajakovic earlier than the sport. “Giannis is wonderful in open court docket, in transition, in [isolations] and post-ups. And now including a deep-range shooter like Lillard makes life tougher. However I believe that we’ve a very good recreation plan. I imagine our guys are prepared they usually need to go on the market and compete and our guys take a variety of pleasure in what we do. So I anticipate a very good recreation.”
It was the primary recreation again in Toronto for Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin, as assistant to former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse courting again to 2018-19. It’s a dream alternative for a first-year head coach, however not a simple one given the extent of expectations.
“It’s nice to be again,” mentioned Griffin. “Quite a lot of fond recollections right here. We have been a tight-knit household so far as all the group … we received a championship right here, simply particular occasions. You already know, it’s a little bit awkward being within the visiting locker room, I acquired to see a few gamers after I walked in and you understand, you miss some guys. You construct robust bonds with them over time. However tonight, we acquired to beat (them).”
Griffin and his group have been going through an uphill battle by halftime because the Raptors’ momentum continued to construct. The ball motion remained, however the turnovers have been cleaned up and the Raptors led 66-44 to begin the third quarter.
The Raptors match up properly with the Bucks’ stars. Anunoby is among the few defenders who has the bodily capacity to match up with Antetokounmpo’s uncommon mixture of velocity, measurement and power. In the meantime, Schroder has the agility to match Lillard, and the feistiness to get beneath the star guard’s pores and skin, as was evident after they have been slapping one another’s arms away as they jostled for place on a free throw. Stars at that degree aren’t guarded 1-on-1, however it helps to have two major defenders who can at the least maintain their very own.
Lillard completed the primary half with simply 10 factors and 6 of these got here on the free-throw line as he benefited from a few 50-50 whistles.
In the meantime, Schroder was getting access to the paint at will and transferring the ball neatly when the defence collapsed. He completed the primary half with 9 assists (in opposition to only one turnover) because the Raptors; 4 different starters all had 12 factors or extra. The Raptors’ lead peaked at 27.
Nonetheless it couldn’t be this simple, might it? With just below 4 minutes left within the third quarter, it was wanting fairly simple because the Raptors led by 22. However as has typically been the case this season, bother began when Rajakovic went to his bench. The Bucks went on a 9-0 run as quickly as he went to a Barnes-plus-bench lineup. However an enormous possession from Otto Porter Jr. — restricted to only eight video games final season as a consequence of damage and seeing his first motion this 12 months — adopted. He secured an offensive rebound in a battle with Antetokounmpo, acquired the ball the ball to Barnes and freed him up with a display screen as Barnes hit a 3 to shut the quarter and keep among the momentum as Toronto headed into the fourth main 95-79.
With the starters again in, the Raptors picked up the place that they had left off. Siakam capped his finest recreation of the season with a pair of threes and a dunk to begin the fourth whereas Schroder hit a jumper and a nook three in entrance of the Raptors bench as a part of a 23-12 run that prolonged Toronto’s lead with simply over seven minutes to play.
The Bucks relented at that time, and Rajakovic’s Raptors — at the least for one night time — regarded like a group that may compete within the East each bit as convincingly as Dame Lillard and the Bucks, which can say as a lot about Milwaukee to date this season because it does in regards to the Raptors.
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