Khris Middleton – File Photo / Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).
The Milwaukee Bucks dropped back-to-back games for the first time in the playoffs and just the second time all season, falling to the Raptors 120-102 in Toronto on Tuesday night.
The Bucks shot out of the gate playing well offensively, but that didn’t last long. Defensively, the Bucks didn’t stop the Raptors all night.
Kyle Lowry finished with 25 points, 12 of them coming in the first quarter. Kawhi Leonard had 19 points, Norman Powell added 18 points, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka added 17 and Fred VanVleet added 13 for the Raptors.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 30 points and dished out seven assists and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25, with 11 of the 25 coming in the first quarter.
That was it for the Bucks, who got little from Eric Bledsoe again. His minutes dropped to 20. But his replacements, Malcolm Brogdon and George Hill struggled as well, giving the Bucks little from the guard position.
Brogdon, after scoring 20 points in game three, had just four points and missed his first eight shots. George Hill took just two shots.
Ersan Ilyasova picked up four fouls in just 10 minutes and never got into a rhythm. He finished with just seven points.
Whatever coach Mike Budenholzer tried didn’t work as the series draws even at two. Now the Bucks have another quick turn-around, trying to figure out how they can get back on track. Milwaukee hosts game five on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.