Bucks vs Raptors Recap: NBA Jan. 17th/23

As part of a four-game schedule on Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks, a really strong home team in the NBA, hosted the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks, despite playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, defeated the Raptors in a contest that was fairly close as time expired.

The Bucks improved to 18-5 from home this season when they put up a single-digit margin of victory in the game, winning by 8 points. The final score was Toronto 122, and Milwaukee 130.

Milwaukee Bucks: #8 Ranked Team at a Glance

• Overall record: 29-16
• Home record: 18-5
• Away record: 11-11
• Winning/losing streak: W2
• Last ten games: 6-4

Raptors @ Bucks Tuesday: Fred VanVleet scores 39

With the loss, the Raptors are now 20-25 overall on the season. Toronto continues to play a brand of basketball that will not likely promote the long-term health of its team.

Only three players appeared in the game off of the bench. They totaled just 44 minutes of action as Nick Nurse continues to rely more heavily on his starters than any current coach in the NBA. Whatever is going on with the Raptors, the team does not seem to have much confidence in their bench.

All Toronto starters in this game played at least 35 minutes with Gary Trent Jr. playing a whopping 43 minutes, a huge total for a game that did not go to overtime. The top scorer in the game was Fred VanVleet. He had an impressive 39 points in the contest with a 6 for 12 shooting performance from behind the arc.

As the chart below shows, Toronto’s brand of basketball has not been working for quite some time. They had a record of 13-12 from 5-6 weeks ago but following their loss, they are now just 20-25.

Toronto Raptors: Recent Form Alert

• Toronto Raptors were 13-12 (December 8th, 2022)
• Following Tuesday’s game, they are 20-25
• Toronto has gone 7-13 since December 8th, 2022

Meanwhile, the Bucks improved to 29-16 with the 8-point victory. It was the team’s second straight win, however, both victories came from home. This is a club that struggles on the road a bit and their next game against Cleveland promises to be a major test.

Further reading: NBA Power Rankings