SportsPulse: Sometimes heroes come out of nowhere. Brook Lopez had a huge night to help propel the Bucks to a comeback victory over the Raptors in Game 1 of the East finals.
USA TODAY
MILWAUKEE — The Toronto Raptors squandered an opportunity.
They led for most of the game, Kyle Lowry scored 30 points and made a playoff career-high seven 3-pointers, and through three quarters, the Milwaukee Bucks were abysmal from 3-point range.
The Raptors had a prime chance to grab a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals and steal home-court advantage. Instead, Toronto dropped the opener 108-100 on Wednesday.
“Obviously, it was a missed opportunity,” Raptors reserve guard Fred VanVleet said. “We’re not running from that. But flush it. You can’t sulk on it. You can’t sit on it and think about it tonight. We’ll look at the film, practice tomorrow and move on. We felt like we had a chance, and we didn’t execute enough to go out there and get it done. Move on and try to get Game 2.”
The Raptors’ late-game execution wasn’t great, but wasn’t horrible. The just didn’t make shots. Kawhi Leonard’s two free throws put Toronto ahead 100-98 with 3:31 left in the fourth quarter, but the Raptors never scored again, going 0-for-8 from the field, including misfires on five 3-pointers.
“Pretty frustrating,” Lowry said. “The fourth quarter killed us, 32-17. They outplayed us in that fourth quarter. They got a little bit more aggressive. They made some big shots (and) made some big plays.”
Milwaukee finished the game with a 10-0 run, and Bucks center Brook Lopez, the star of the game with a playoff career-high 29 points, had five of those points.
“It sucks when you lose like that,” Lowry said.
It was a competitive and entertaining game, suggesting a long series. One team wasn’t demonstrably better than the other over 48 minutes. But Toronto is also facing a much better team than the Philadelphia 76ers, who played a more plodding style in the previous round.
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The Bucks run a more free-flowing offense, and it may take a game or two for Toronto to adjust. The Raptors also didn’t get Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo at his best, which should also trouble Toronto.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s concerns headed into the series were warranted. He rattled them off in a pregame interview with reporters.
He was worried about the Bucks’ drive-and-kicks for open 3-pointers, their ability to grab offensive rebounds, their transition fastbreak and free throws — all of which hurt Toronto to varying degrees.
Milwaukee wasn’t great from 3-point range (25%), but made them when necessary in the fourth quarter, going 5-for-10.
The Bucks clobbered the Raptors on the glass and outrebounded them 15-8 on the offensive end, leading to 24-13 edge in second-chance points. Milwaukee loves to make teams pay for missed shots and turnovers in transition, and it outscored Toronto 25-15 in fastbreak points. The Bucks also made six more free throws.
“The biggest thing is transition,” Nurse said. “When you blow a layup or you get knocked down or something and the ball is still in play, they come at you in transition.”
Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo discusses Brook Lopez’s performance in Game 1 in the Eastern Conference finals
Margaret Naczek, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Lowry was fantastic and not just because of his scoring. He had eight rebounds and saved a possession by jumping and diving for an errant pass that was headed out of bounds. He put his body on the line for charges, too.
“He was really good,” Nurse said. “It’s not easy. They’ve got a bunch of athletic guards, and they run a bunch of guys at him and they’re doing a decent job.”
He scored seven consecutive Raptors points in the third quarter and 14 points in the fourth quarter. But he was the only Raptors offense in the fourth quarter. No other Raptor made a field goal in the final 12 minutes, just free throws from Leonard and Pascal Siakam. All other Raptors were 0-for-15 from the field in the fourth.
It’s unlikely — not impossible though — that Lowry has another game like that. That’s the bad news.
But there is good news. Take away Lowry’s 10-for-15 shooting, and the Raptors shot 31.1% from the field and 24.2% on 3-pointers. It’s also unlikely that the Raptors, especially Leonard despite 31 points, shoot like that again from the field. Siakam was 6-for-20, Marc Gasol 2-for-11, Danny Green 1-for-5 and Leonard 10-for-26.
The Raptors had a bad offensive game and still were in it late in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee’s defense cranked up the pressure in the second half, but Toronto also missed open shots.
“Stay even-keeled. Never too high, never too low,” Lowry said. “Just look at the film and get better.”
It’s difficult and necessary to win on the road in the playoffs, and it’s imperative to secure wins when they are there for the taking.
It’s too early to tell how this loss will impact the series, but there’s a chance the Raptors could look back and think this was the game that determined who reached the NBA Finals.
Follow Jeff Zilligitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
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