The Toronto Raptors put an end to their two-game losing streak, squeezing out a hard-fought 103-96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, on the second night of a back-to-back.
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The Bucks opened the game on a 16-2 run as the Raptors missed 11 of their first 12 shots, however, Toronto locked in on the defensive end and clawed their way back, taking their first lead of the game at 53-52 with 9:19 left in the third quarter, thanks to a Pascal Siakam jump shot and they didn't surrender the lead the rest of the way.
Siakam led the way with his second career triple-double, leading the Raptors in scoring with 30 points, while OG Anunoby added 24 and Fred VanVleet 16 as they made it three wins from three games against the Bucks this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Grayson Allen chipped in with 18 and Khris Middleton 16.
With the win, the Raptors improve to 21-19 on the season and have now won their past five games at Fiserv Forum.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer....
Siakam takes over
Pascal Siakam had his fingerprints all over this game, recording 30 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds and two steals, making it two triple-doubles on the season and just the second of his career.
He becomes just the fourth player in Raptors franchise history with a 30-point triple-double, following Fred VanVleet who did so against the Utah Jazz last week.
Siakam's 10 assists are a season-high and just two shy of his career-best as he consistently knifed into the Bucks' defence, displaying his ability in the pick-and-roll to find open shooters and create scoring opportunities throughout the game.
un deux TROIS @chrisboucher pic.twitter.com/0zvgfAn6ud
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2022
He scored 13 of the team's 30 fourth-quarter points on 4-of-5 shooting, despite battling foul trouble — including the dagger 3-pointer to ice the win with 1:10 remaining in the game.
Pascal Siakam comes up BIG in the CLUTCH for the @Raptors!
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2022
🌶 30 PTS
🌶 10 AST
🌶 10 REB pic.twitter.com/O4yFOaDWx5
Across his last 10 games, Siakam is averaging 24.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals on 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.4 percent from the 3-point line, making a late case for All-Star consideration.
Raptors clamp down
The Raptors turned their game in their favour thanks to a blistering third quarter, particularly on the defensive end as they upped the physicality and forced the Bucks into a ton of tough shots, contesting everything at the rim.
Milwaukee shot just 27.8 percent (5-of-18) in the period and 33.8 percent on the night — their worst shooting performance of the season.
The Raptors outscored the Bucks 44-24 in the paint, thanks largely to the work of Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher. Head coach Nick Nurse persevered with Achiuwa guarding Antetokounmpo and his energy and activity picking up the Greek Freak before he crossed halfcourt forced the ball out of his hands and made the other Bucks beat them.
They held Antetokounmpo to 6-of-17 shooting the floor, doing the bulk of his scoring at the free-throw line as he went a perfect 17-of-17.
With the game on the line, the Raptors turned up the defence once again, holding the Bucks to just one made field goal in the final five minutes.
OG Anunoby hits the runway
Anunoby capitalised on the Bucks defence swarming Siakam and VanVleet, picking his spots to attack as he poured in 24 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
It was a tough shooting night for Anunoby, who needed 23 shots for his 24 points, including a game-high 13 from beyond the arc (3-of-13), but so often he was left in space and made the Bucks pay on some key possessions.
None better than this huge jam straight down the lane.
" OG! Oh My!"
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2022
OG Anunoby getting to the rack on NBA League Pass ⬇ https://t.co/oz9UCQxdQa pic.twitter.com/a4mYWUEk68
Champagnie all hustle
Raptors rookie Justin Champagnie did his best Dennis Rodman impersonation tonight, displaying his unique ability to just find the ball wherever it is.
He had 10 of his career-high 12 rebounds in the first half and hauled in six of the Raptors' 16 offensive rebounds, helping them create a ton of second-chance scoring opportunities.
More important than Siakam’s second triple double, Champagnie becomes the 21st Raptor to go 12+ rebounds with 3 or fewer points.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) January 16, 2022
A list that includes Gary Trent Sr pic.twitter.com/4OCuRlDeOE
Raptors injury update
Nick Nurse was forced into a short rotation tonight and despite playing in Detroit 24 hours earlier, six players logged 30-plus minutes, with four of the five starters playing 39-plus.
Toronto was without rookie Scottie Barnes who was ruled out ahead of tip-off with knee tendinitis, while Gary Trent Jr. missed his third-straight game with a sore ankle.
What's next?
The Raptors continue their five-game road trip in Miami to take on Kyle Lowry and the Heat on Monday, Jan. 17. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
See you then!
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