Gameday: Raptors @ Bucks, November 12

After a game at altitude and spending a few days on the West Coast, the Toronto Raptors conclude their longest road trip of the season on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.  

The Raptors (2-9) have the worst record in the league, the Bucks; second to worst (2-8). This is also game one of NBA Cup group-stage action for both teams, as the tournament commences on Tuesday. Milwaukee and Toronto are joined in East Group B by the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, and Indiana Pacers. The top team in each of the six groups (three per conference) along with one wild card team from each conference will go on to the quarter finals taking place on December 10th and 11th.  

Toronto is ranked 14th in offensive rating (112.7), dead last in defensive rating (120) and 25th in net rating (-7.3). 

Immanuel Quickley made his return to the Raptors lineup on Saturday after missing seven games with a pelvic contusion that he sustained on opening night. However, he may back out just as soon as he was in, as multiple sources reported on Monday that he is questionable with a left elbow sprain. 

Quickley had mixed results over the last two games since re-joining the team.

He’s shown some of his usual scoring punch, hitting 3s and making shots in the paint. The Raptors starting point guard has also made some good passes out of the pick n’ roll, hasn’t turned the ball over much, and while it isn’t anything to write home about, the defence has been ok.  

Now for the bad. Quickley has picked up his dribble too often, allowing opposing defenders to recover and get set. This has resulted in some stagnant offensive possessions.  

This is something to watch going forward. Quickley will need to make quicker decisions with the ball – .5 offence style – if he is going to be successful as an initiator.  

Milwaukee will be without their lead guard, as Damian Lillard is currently in concussion protocol. The eight-time All-star took a blow to the head late in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics on Sunday.  

Toronto is in the bottom third of the NBA in 3-point frequency and accuracy, while Milwaukee is almost exactly league average in both categories. However, the Bucks shooting will take a hit with Lillard out of the lineup.  

Milwaukee is 20th in offensive rating (110.6) and 22nd in both defensive rating (115.7) and net rating (-5.1).  

The Bucks have lost three of their last four games – albeit to Eastern Conference juggernauts Cleveland, Boston, and New York – and find themselves well short of what was expected going into the season. Yet, there is still plenty of time to course correct from their 2-8 start. This is a team that has expectations to compete in the playoffs and they will be coming into every game with a sense of urgency.  

Giannis Antetokounmpo has consistently been one of the best in the league at getting to the rim and finishing. And this season, the Raptors have had difficulty limiting shots at the basket and negating them when they do happen. This is a byproduct of their ball-pressure-centric defence, as being aggressive and playing lock-and-trail results in more drives, putting more pressure on the back-line of the defence (Jakob Pöltl). With Lillard out, it would be smart for the Raptors to be more conservative at the point-of-attack and work to limit drives – specifically walling off the Greek Freak. This will be essential if they are going to come away from this extended road trip with a single win.  

Broadcast Info 

Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m. ET  

Television: SN 

Radio: Sportsnet 590 

Raptors Lineup (projected) 

PG: Davion Mitchell  

SG: Gradey Dick  

SF: Ochai Agbaji   

PF: RJ Barrett   

C: Jakob Poeltl  

Bucks Lineup (projected) 

PG: Pat Connaughton 

SG: Gary Trent Jr. 

SF: Taurean Prince  

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo 

C: Brook Lopez 

Injury Report (Not official)  

Bucks 

Damian Lillard (Concussion protocol) – Out 

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Knee) – Probable  

Gary Trent Jr. (Back) – Probable 

Andre Jackson Jr. (Hip) – Probable 

Khris Middleton (Back) – Out  

Raptors  

Immanuel Quickley (Elbow sprain) – Questionable 

Garrett Temple (Back) – Doubtful 

Scottie Barnes (Orbital fracture) – Out 

Ja’Kobe Walter (AC joint sprain) – Out 

Kelly Olynyk (Back) – Out  

Bruce Brown Jr. (Knee) – Out 

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