The Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks meet tonight in their second NBA Cup game of the season, and the contrast between the two teams is already pretty clear.
Toronto dropped its first Cup matchup to the Orlando Magic, while Milwaukee is just getting started in the in-season tournament. Before tipoff, Milwaukee Bucks On SI contributor Tre Allen laid out where the Bucks stand right now, and the picture he painted was familiar: competitive stretches, but too many empty possessions and too many late-game lapses.
Allen said the Bucks’ start since Giannis Antetokounmpo left has matched expectations, especially with the difficulty of the schedule. Milwaukee has had chances to win, but poor fourth-quarter execution and other mistakes have kept the record from looking better.
He also pointed to the energy and game plan from head coach Taylor Jenkins, while noting that the players have not consistently delivered on the execution side. Missed shots have been part of that problem.
For Allen, the biggest thing standing out is Milwaukee’s competitiveness. The Bucks have put themselves in position in a lot of games, but one bad quarter - or even one bad half - has been enough to tilt things away from them. He also called Jaime Jaquez Jr. a surprise, especially with his efficiency from deep, shooting 48.4% on almost five attempts per game.
Offensively, Allen said the issue goes beyond the numbers. The stats reflect the team’s shooting and scoring, but he believes Jenkins has put together plenty of good actions out of timeouts and set plays to create clean looks. The problem, as he put it, is that the shots simply have not gone in.
If Milwaukee is going to beat Toronto, Allen said it will have to be because the Bucks play well on both ends. Their defense ranks No. 27 in opponent points per game, and their offense is not much better at No. 21 in points per game. Too often, one end lets them down while the other is trying to carry the load.
Toronto, meanwhile, has been lower on defense than expected after the addition of Kawhi Leonard to pair with Scottie Barnes, but has made up for it with a strong offense. Allen noted that Leonard has only played two games and expects the defense to improve once he returns. He also said that outside of Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr., Milwaukee has not had a steady offensive source.
Allen’s read on the matchup is that Toronto has the edge. Still, he thinks the Bucks could make it tighter than people expect, which has happened a few times already this season. His prediction: Raptors 125, Bucks 113.
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