Two struggling teams from the Eastern Conference will face off when the Toronto Raptors visit the Milwaukee Bucks to open NBA Cup action on Tuesday night.
For the Raptors, who finished with just 25 wins last season, their current position in the standings isn’t a big surprise. However, the Bucks’ 2-8 start to the season has been a major talking point so far.
“We gotta get out of this hole that we created,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after his team’s loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. “We created it. All of us, me, them, together. I have no doubt that we will. We have to play ourselves out of this hole.”
The Bucks wasted another strong performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 43 points against the Celtics. He currently leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.6 points per game, and has bumped that up to 33.8 over his last five games.
However, Damian Lillard was limited to just 14 points in the loss, far below his usual 26-point average.
Rivers has expressed frustration with his team’s inconsistency, particularly with their pace and effort levels.
“We can’t sustain what we did like we did in the Cleveland game. We came out like gangbusters and we just didn’t sustain our play,” Rivers said. “It’s my job to make sure we keep going and playing at the right pace. We didn’t do that.”
The Bucks are hoping to get Khris Middleton back soon. Rivers mentioned that Middleton has been increasing his activity level after recovering from an ankle injury.
Injuries have also been a significant issue for the Raptors. They are currently on a five-game road trip, having lost four straight, and are dealing with several key injuries. Bruce Brown is out with a knee injury, and Scottie Barnes won’t return until at least Thanksgiving due to an orbital fracture.
Raptors point guard RJ Barrett missed three games due to injury but has played well since coming back. Immanuel Quickley also missed eight games with a pelvis injury. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said the two are still adjusting to playing together.
“It’s just a different role in different situations for both of them,” Rajakovic said. “They are learning how to play off of each other. They are learning how to play again with Jakob (Poeltl). We’re still playing quickly.
We have to use this as a learning opportunity. We have one more game on this road trip.”
The Raptors lead the NBA in 2-point shooting percentage at 65.1%, and Poeltl is averaging a double-double. However, their defense has struggled, with the team ranking last in the league in defensive rating at 120.0.
While the Bucks are in a tough spot early in the season, Toronto entered the year with more modest expectations, and there’s no talk yet of needing to dig out of a hole.
“It’s hard to make any conclusions after 10-11 games,” Rajakovic said. “We still have guys dealing with injuries. We are really investing in developing the young players that we have.”
The NBA Cup is an in-season tournament that is in its second year. Last season, Milwaukee went 4-0 in group play but lost to Indiana in the semifinals. Toronto went 1-3 in NBA Cup play.
