Fred VanVleet scored 33 points and added seven assists and the visiting Toronto Raptors defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 124-113 Tuesday night in the opener of a two-game set.
The Raptors, who had lost two in a row, handed the Bucks their fourth straight loss.
Kyle Lowry scored 18 points for Toronto before leaving the game for good because of a left ankle injury with 8:42 to play in the third quarter. He also exited late in the first half but returned to start the third quarter.
Pascal Siakam added 23 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto. Chris Boucher had 14 points, and OG Anunoby, who returned after missing 10 games with a strained calf, scored 13 points. Norman Powell put up 11 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out eight assists and logged five steals for Milwaukee.
Pat Connaughton scored 18 of his season-best 20 points in the first half for the Bucks. Bobby Portis had 16 points, Donte DiVincenzo scored 12 and Bryn Forbes and Khris Middleton each had 11.
The Raptors took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter and went up by nine on Boucher’s 3-pointer with 7:05 remaining.
Middleton hit a jumper with 5:36 left to cut the Bucks’ deficit to three. The Raptors came back to take a 10-point lead on Anunoby’s dunk with 2:32 to play.
After the Raptors led by as many as nine points, the teams were tied at 33 entering the second quarter.
The Bucks used a 10-0 run to lead by 12 points with 7:58 left in the half. Toronto went on a 19-5 surge to regain the lead by two points with 3:57 left, and it was 64-64 at halftime.
The Raptors led by eight after VanVleet’s 3-pointer with 5:43 to play in the third quarter. The gap was down to two one point following a jumper by Middleton with 1:11 to go. Aron Baynes hit a jump shot to complete the third-quarter scoring and give Toronto a 94-91 lead.
Milwaukee was without Jrue Holiday (health and safety protocols) for the fifth straight game.
–Field Level Media