Giannis Antetokounmpo was simply unstoppable in Game 1. He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor to carry the Milwaukee Bucks to the impressive 97-83 victory.
Antetokounmpo even added this emphatic block on DeMar DeRozan to put the exclamation point in the win.
This dominant showing from the Greek Freak was also backed up on the other end of the floor, as the Bucks defense held the Raptors to one of their worst offensive nights this season. Toronto shot below 40 percent from the floor, and was 5-for-23 from three-point range.
Rookie of the Year candidate, Malcolm Brogdon, added 16 points and six rebounds to join five other double-digit scorers for Milwaukee in the opener, which marked the Bucks’ second-straight win (2-0 ATS) versus the Raptors.
Many things didn’t go the Toronto Raptors’ way in Game 1. Especially for Kyle Lowry, who has been receiving a lot of heat from the social media world after this invisible performance in the opener: four points on 2-for-11 shooting.
To be frank, the Raptors were disappointing as a whole. They shot just 36 percent from the field; they had 11 turnovers and only managed to force five from the Bucks. The only positives were the resilient efforts of DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka.
The USC product had a team-high 27 points, with 13 of which coming from the charity stripe. Ibaka, meanwhile, registered a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds to go with three blocks.
The loss could be largely blamed on Toronto’s poor shooting, but the aforementioned Lowry, who made his third-straight All-Star selection this season, has no excuse for his unacceptable display. He needs to be at his best if the Raptors hope to rebound in Game 2 and eventually win this first-round playoff series.
Writer’s Prediction
The Raptors (-8) respond with a big win here, 113-100.
