Siakam drops team-high 33 as red-hot Raptors beat short-handed Bucks
Milwaukee missing coach Mike Budenholzer, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Pascal Siakam scored 33 points, OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. had 22 apiece and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 117-111 on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
Fred VanVleet added 19 points for the Raptors. They improved to 18-17 and overcame Milwaukee's hot-shooting first half and late rally.
The defending NBA champion Bucks were without coach Mike Budenholzer after he entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 25 points. Jordan Nwora had 17 and Jrue Holiday and DeMarcus Cousins each had 15.
The Bucks were coming off a 115-106 home loss to lowly Detroit.
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Milwaukee connected on 61 per cent of its shots to take a 77-68 at the half, tying the most points it has scored in the first half this season. The 77 points marked the most Toronto has surrendered in any half this season. The previous high was 72 in both halves of a 144-99 loss at Cleveland on Dec. 26.
The Toronto coaching staff and bench became very vocal in the second half in an effort to boost the team's defensive intensity, Nurse said.
"Everybody was energized and tuned in. That was fun," he said.
Toronto erased a 14-point deficit and tied it at 85 midway through the third. The Raptors built a 15-point lead in the fourth, but the Bucks pulled within four points twice in the final minute.
"I'm not devastated," Bucks acting coach Darvin Ham said. "I thought our guys busted their butts."
Middleton said he was disappointed that the team couldn't get a win for Ham.
"Overall, the coaching staff did a great job preparing us for tonight, we just let ourselves down in the third quarter," he said.
