Holly MacKenzie – Raptors.com
IT WAS OVER WHEN
Kyle Lowry put the Raptors ahead by seven with 24 seconds remaining. The Bucks would not score on their final possession of the game and Toronto survived a furious fourth-quarter rally from Milwaukee to earn a 90-83 victory and move to 15-9 on the season.
SLOW START, QUICK BOUNCE BACK
The Raptors found themselves in a familiar situation on Friday night, getting off to a slow start against the Bucks. With 7:39 remaining in the first quarter, they trailed 13-4 and Dwane Casey called a timeout to talk things over. Toronto came out of the timeout to outscore Milwaukee 44-18 to close the half and take an 18-point advantage into the break.
FOURTH QUARTER RALLY
After the Raptors stretching their lead to 19 in the third quarter, they allowed Milwaukee to trim it to 10 points going into the fourth. The Bucks outscored Toronto 23-20 in the final quarter, and managed to get within four with less than two minutes remaining before DeRozan and Lowry closed out the game.
RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
DeMar DeRozan continued his hot streak from the floor, scoring 27 points on 8-for-17 shooting while making 11-of-12 free throws to go with three rebounds, an assist, two steals and a blocked shot.
UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Once again, Cory Joseph came off the bench to play starter’s minutes and have a huge impact. Joseph played 32 minutes against the Bucks, scored 13 points on 4-of-6 field goals to go with three rebounds, three assists, three steals and a blocked shot. The team was a +15 when he was on the floor.
THAT’S A RAP…
“I think he’s really letting the game come to him. He’s staying aggressive, he’s taking shots that are less difficult, he’s getting off the ball and getting it right back. A lot of teams have been switching on us so he ends up with a big on him, kicks it, gets it right back and he’s able to drive so he’s using his athleticism to finish at the rim. He’s just playing great basketball.”
– Kyle Lowry on the play of backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan
BY THE #’S
49… Percent shooting in the game for the Raptors, who held Milwaukee to 41 percent shooting.
7… Made three-pointers for Toronto, compared to just four for the Bucks. Kyle Lowry and Patrick Patterson led the Raptors with two three-pointers apiece.
8… The Raptors had eight blocks in the game, spread among seven different players. Toronto’s total doubled Milwaukee’s four blocked shots in the game. Point guard Kyle Lowry finished with a game-high two blocks.
29… Percent shooting in the first half for the Bucks as the Raptors built an 18-point lead.
24… DeMar DeRozan is averaging 24.2 points over his past five games to go with four rebounds and 4.6 assists.
THEY SAID IT…
“I thought we were lethargic, kind of running in mud a bit, those two guys came in. First half Cory was plus-23 or something crazy like that. He came in and jumpstarted us, got us going got the ball moving and pushing it up the floor and that’s what he’s great at.”
– Dwane Casey on the impact Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson (both a +15 in the game) had off the bench
“I’m being aggressive. I like getting to the free throw line. Taking advantage of that, getting in the paint, if I’ve got a shot I’ll take it, if not, try to get my teammates involved, just feed off them. Mainly, being aggressive.”
– DeMar DeRozan on his recent play
“It’s just a mindset. Having a different mindset. Of course coach comes in here and, shows us film day in and day out. I think it’s not a punishment of bad things, it’s to help us get back on our feet because he believes in the team, believes in the players.”
– Bismack Biyombo on Dwane Casey continuing to push the team to get off to better starts
“I think it wasn’t about getting the blowout, it was about getting the win for us. Yeah, we’ve got to find ways to stomp on teams to make sure we keep going but it’s the NBA, they were going to make a run. So you’re not going to blow teams out unless you’re just shooting a blistering number. They kept fighting, that’s the NBA.”
– Kyle Lowry on getting a close win in a game that was on the verge of being a blowout
UP NEXT:
The Raptors finish off a six-game homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday at 6 P.M. ET.
