Bucks blow out Raptors for 2-1 series lead

It’s a short turnaround for the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks as they pack up their bags and cross the border to continue their first round playoff series in a different venue only 2 days after the Raptors managed to take the second home game and tie up the match-up to 1-1.

Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors was the highest-rated Bucks game ever on FOX Sports Wisconsin.

The Toronto Raptors have heard it before, but maybe there was a little extra string this time because it came before a playoff game.

Milwaukee didn’t have this defense during the regular season, not for three games like we’ve seen in this series. The Raptors just scored 83 in the Game 1, but the team bounced back and scored 106 points in the Game 2 over Bucks with the help of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. “Forcing DeRozan and Lowry into tough shots and try to make everybody else make plays”, Middleton said. Shaw’s three-run blast in the first made it 12 consecutive games going yard for the Brewers, who lead the majors with 32 home runs.

“Everybody is going to complain about somebody who plays hard, which is unfortunate because as a player, a coach and as a team-mate that’s what you want”, Kidd, in his rave review of Dellavedova, told reporters.

Of Lowry’s six baskets, none was bigger than his step back jumper with 8.9 seconds remaining, which gave Toronto a 104-100 lead.

Thursday night’s tip could have been played in Cleveland because it had that same feel, that same rotting stench that often emerges when there’s no fight, no response, no nothing.

The Bucks held the Raptors to just 33% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc, while shooting over 52% from inside and in rainbow country in a dominant show of force on both ends of the floor.

They were destroyed Thursday and the Bucks didn’t even get a monster game from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who still made 7 of 10 shots, grabbed eight rebounds, scored 19 points, and blocked a shot with his elbow – seriously.

The Raptors believe the Bucks set moving screens as part of their routine offensive sets, and coach Dwane Casey is demanding his players respond with their own physical play.

“Tonight (Game 2) they didn’t allow me to go in the paint”, he said. “Just an aggressive curl led to a score”. The Raptors went just 6-for-22 from three-point range.

“I think we got the rotation”. And they stayed on their feet much of the night, funneling their frustration into yelling for the Grizzlies and against the officials. Whoever goes in has to go in and make a difference, and we didn’t.

After losing 10 straight to the Spurs, Memphis solved the puzzle – secretly imagining that they play in Canada once again. He walked two and struck out five, but needed Thames’ NL-leading eighth home run and seventh in the last eight games for his first win in four starts.