Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks: Grades From 102-86 Loss to Toronto Raptors

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:55 p.m. ET

Fansided, Rohan Katti/FanSided via Behind the Buck Pass

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks headed to Toronto hoping to capitalize on All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan being sidelined due to injury. However, the Bucks fell short, losing their second straight game, and the seventh of their last eight.

	1	2	3	4	T
Raptors	36	17	24	25	102
Bucks	19	20	31	16	86

Fresh off a loss to the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers on January 25th, the Milwaukee Bucks headed north of the border to try to tame the Toronto Raptors.

Even with All-Star starter DeMar DeRozan missing his third straight game with a lingering ankle injury, the Raptors high-performing offense and pesky defense was too much to handle for the slumping Bucks.

The Bucks fell behind early in the first, and never seemed to climb out of the hole. A (relatively) strong surge in the second and third quarter seemed to breathe some new life into the Bucks, but they were still playing from behind, and never seemed to take command of the game.

Toronto continued to execute their offense at an extremely high level, which forced Milwaukee into tough situations defensively.

Hoping for a win against the Raptors might have been too high in terms of Bucks fans’ expectations against a clearly superior Raptors team.

Who’s ready to look back on the game and go through some grades? I know I am! Let’s get into it.

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Starters

Matthew Dellavedova

G, Milwaukee Bucks

B-Matthew Dellavedova seemed to be the only Buck who could get hot during the course of the game. Finishing with 11 points and two assists, Delly seemed to play his usual gritty game on defense and hit the occasional three.

Tony Snell

G, Milwaukee Bucks

C-Tony Snell was a non-factor in this game. Taking four shots (all threes) and finishing with six points with no trips to the line is a very quiet night for the guard. He did have a couple of nice first quarter blocks, but they did little to stop the bleeding.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

G/F, Milwaukee Bucks

B+After going 0-7 from three in his last outing, not attempting a shot from beyond the arc is a drastic change for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak seems to realize he has a consistent fadeaway only when he plays in Canada, so he put his midrange game on full display against the Raptors. Filling up the stat sheet as usual, Giannis finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.

Jabari Parker

F, Milwaukee Bucks

B+The most surprising aspect of this game was that this was Jabari’s first double-double of the season, as he had 21 points and 13 rebounds. After the team meeting, Major Cat seems to be more aggressive on the glass. Instead of letting the ball come to him, he now snatches rebounds out of the air and takes the ball down the court. Against the Raptors, Parker had a typical Jabari night, even though his three-point game continues to struggle

Miles Plumlee

C, Milwaukee Bucks

DIn his third straight game acting as little more than an appetizer for Greg Monroe, Miles Plumlee did all he could do out there. We had not seen the center layup curse affect Plumlord much this season, but it was in full effect on Friday as he missed some lobs and shot 1-5 from the field. While Miles provides a semblance of a defensive presence at the rim, the high octane Raps tore him apart.Next: Bench

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Bench

Greg Monroe

C, Milwaukee Bucks

CTrying to follow up his monstrous performance on Wednesday, Greg Monroe had a silent evening in the 416. Only tallying six points with two rebounds, the Moose was not loose in Toronto. Facing a matchup with the vastly improved Lucas Nogueira, Monroe was off his game. However, Greg put his full effort into the game, as he has been doing all season. I’m also pretty sure he yelled “And-one!” from the bench, which is cool.

Malcolm Brogdon

G, Milwaukee Bucks

C-This was a game to forget for Malcolm Brogdon. Since being put back on the bench, Brogdon has seemed to hit the rookie wall, which we did not expect from The President. Having easy turnovers and fouls in the first half set off Malcolm for a bad game. Brogdon finished with four points and three assists.

Rashad Vaughn

SG, Milwaukee Bucks

C-If someone told you before the game that Rashad Vaughn would get 30 minutes of playing time, would you believe them? Of course you would, because anything can happen with this Bucks team. Vaughn played like a man trying to earn minutes, as evident by him only passing the ball when absolutely necessary. Only connecting on one of his eight shot attempts, Rashad was not efficient. However, he needed to get some burn to boost his confidence.

Thon Maker

F/C, Milwaukee Bucks

A-Getting eight meaningful minutes in a game is important for the development of Thon Maker. He is starting to deserve the minutes more and more, and he made an impact in the game against the Raptors. With the Bucks faltering early, Kidd put in a bench unit which some would deem a white flag, but Thon helped fuel a Bucks mini-surge. Finishing with eight points, Maker brought energy and defensive effort that is starting to rub off on his teammates.

Jason Terry

SG, Milwaukee Bucks

C-Seeing only 11 minutes, Jason Terry made the most of the opportunity. While it may not show up on a stat sheet, Terry provided the spark off the bench that gave the Bucks a chance to come back and win this game. Hustling for loose balls and going for steals is how the JET shows his teammates what is supposed to happen when they take the floor. A for effort, D for actual playing ability. What does that average to? Not a number, that’s for sure.

Mirza Teletovic

F, Milwaukee Bucks

DJust as he seemed to make his way back into the rotation, Mirza Teletovic saw the court for only six minutes during the “I don’t even think Kidd knows what will happen” lineup during the second quarter. Missing his two shot attempts, Mirza did not do anything except grab one board.

Michael Beasley

F, Milwaukee Bucks

DSuper cool Beas barely saw action in Toronto. Beasley joined Teletovic in the zero points with one rebound squad as he has not been very good lately, to say the least. Next: Jason Kidd

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Head Coach

Jason Kidd

Coach, Milwaukee Bucks

CJason Kidd has taken a lot of blame for the recent stretch of games for the Bucks. However, this game was not entirely his fault. Clearly overmatched, Kidd went to lineups that were unconventional. Deciding to play Thon Maker and Jason Terry when the starters were clearly struggling was bold, but it turned out that it may have been the right call to make. They provided an immediate boost off the bench, and perhaps Kidd’s biggest fault in this game was not returning to Thon at greater length. Rashad Vaughn getting 30 minutes was a questionable decision, as he was just chucking up random shots at some points. There may be an explanation for this, but John Henson receiving a DNP-CD was the one major flaw in Kidd’s performance. With Miles Plumlee and Greg Monroe struggling to produce during the game, Henson could have gotten some burn to offer a change of pace.Next: Toronto Raptors

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Opposition

Toronto Raptors

Atlantic, 29-18

The Milwaukee Bucks are now 21-25 and will prepare to take on the Boston Celtics at home on Saturday.