Five players from the Milwaukee Bucks scored in double figures as they defeated the Toronto Raptors 99-85 on Tuesday night in the first NBA Cup game for both teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 23 points and seven assists. Bobby Portis came off the bench to score 17 points.
For Toronto, 20-year-old Gradey Dick had a career-high 32 points, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. Jakob Poeltl scored 13 points, and Chris Boucher added 12. The Raptors, who have now lost five straight games, never led during the match. Their 85 points were the fewest they’ve scored all season.
The Bucks played without their star guard, Damian Lillard, who was out due to concussion protocol. Lillard might return for the next game against the Pistons on Wednesday.
Milwaukee’s coach, Doc Rivers, made changes to the starting lineup, including giving AJ Green and Ryan Rollins a spot. Rollins scored 12 points in 22 minutes but left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. Green also finished with 12 points.
Dick was on fire in the first half, scoring 22 points, but the Bucks managed to control the game and led 54-43 at halftime.
In the second half, Toronto came out strong, starting with an 11-0 run to tie the game. Dick hit a three-pointer, RJ Barrett made another three, and Dick added two free throws, followed by another three from Ochai Agbaji.
Milwaukee quickly responded after a timeout. Taurean Prince hit a corner three, and Antetokounmpo made two free throws, sparking an 18-5 run that pushed the Bucks’ lead to 72-59. The lead grew to as much as 21 points.
Toronto tried to come back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 10 points with 5:09 left on a jumper from Barrett, but they couldn’t close the gap any further.
Milwaukee made 16 of 56 three-pointers in the game, even though they typically average 35.4 attempts per game.
Toronto reached the NBA Cup semifinals last year but lost to Indiana.
