January 4, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) takes a shot against Portland Path Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) in the third quarter on Fiserv Discussion board. Mandatory credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Pictures
The Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Cup-winning form appears to have stayed in Las Vegas, but they aim to change that on Monday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.
The Bucks are 3-5 since defeating the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 97-81 to win the season tournament on Dec. 17, including a 105-102 home loss to the Portland Path Blazers on Saturday. That followed a 113-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
“We’re not playing well,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 31 points on Saturday. “Two close games, we couldn’t get them. It definitely hurts. We are not playing well. I feel like before Vegas we discovered some things, we had a great rhythm and we played very well as a team.
“After Las Vegas, I think we took a dip, we dug ourselves back into a hole… We have to come together as a team, play harder, compete, try to get the next one.”
The Raptors are having their own problems. Their 106-97 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday was their 12th in their last 13 games.
The Bucks won the season opener with the Raptors 99-85 in Milwaukee on Nov. 12, starting a 12-3 run to reach the NBA Cup finals. They were 2-8 entering the game against Toronto.
During their recent streak, they have lost twice to the Nets, a team the Raptors defeated Wednesday 130-113 to end an 11-game losing streak.
“It’s frustrating to watch us play,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I just think where we had them a week or two before Vegas and then going to Vegas, we’re not back, we’re not playing well. And it’s on both ends.
“Defensively they are beating us off the dribble time and time again. They’re hitting us against the glass. Offensively I don’t see us playing with much rhythm. “We’re not getting into the paint much.”
The Raptors followed up their win over Brooklyn with a dull defensive effort against Orlando. They allowed the Magic to make 19 three-pointers on 44 attempts (43.2 percent), including 9 of 14 in the first quarter (64.3 percent).
“We just didn’t get close enough to the shooters that we identified as shooters,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We gave up pace shots and they got hot… The first quarter was really the biggest difference there.”
“We only had a couple possessions in a row where we made undisciplined mistakes, where we messed up some things on the scouting report,” added Jakob Poeltl, who led Toronto with 25 points on Friday. “There were a couple of times where we just didn’t close aggressive enough and they took 3 out of that.”
The Raptors have been dealing with injuries all season, but have gotten Immanuel Quickley back for the final two games after he missed 22 games with an elbow injury. Quickley returned against Brooklyn and scored 21 points and 15 assists before adding 11 points and 11 assists against Orlando.
The Bucks are 6-9 on the road and the Raptors are 7-12 at home.
–Media at field level
