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Eric WoodyardESPN
The atmosphere inside the Milwaukee Bucks’ locker room was “a little quiet,” according to newcomer Bobby Portis, after a 124-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
But while vice president Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged some frustration after the Bucks ’fourth straight loss, he said there was no reason for the team not to stay focused and calm.
“I have a feeling everyone is in panic mode, which shouldn’t be the case,” said Antetokounmpo, who scored 34 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals in defeat. “We have to keep improving, we have to keep playing basketball, we have to watch the movie and in the end we have to go out and compete. When you come here, nothing can be easy.”
Once again, the Bucks ’Achilles heel turned out to be the fourth quarter, when it was beaten 12-4 in the final five minutes.
They are now 0-9 when they were staying after three-quarters of this season, and came into the night with the second lowest win percentage in games that reached 22% this season, according to research by ‘ESPN Stats & Information. Only the Detroit Pistons (20%) are worse.
Clutch time is defined as any time when the score is within five points in the last five minutes and can be at any time during this period.
“At the end of the day, we lost four in a row; we won’t go home,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re still here. It’s not the playoffs. Viously, obviously, it’s frustrating. We want to win, especially a game like this. A great game, the boys play hard.
“You want to go out and win the game, but it doesn’t always go your way. But you always have to look at its bright look. You still have another chance on Thursday. So keep improving, watch the movie, improve, keep on everyone in a good place and right now it’s not the end of the world.
Milwaukee played without Jrue Holiday for a fifth straight game as it continues outside of safety and health protocols. Antetokounmpo said the Bucks lack Holiday’s presence on the court.
“We have to be better. Obviously, one of our best team players, players and best team defenders, doesn’t play with us,” he said. “Obviously it’s not an excuse. I’m not a guy to make excuses. But it’s a big part of who we are and we need him.”
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet set the Bucks on fire with 33 points, 7 assists and 4 boards in their fifth 30-point game this season. Toronto’s Kyle Lowry finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 22 minutes despite coming off during the third quarter with a left ankle injury.
Milwaukee (16-12) has not lost four in a row since the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against the Raptors, who were eventual NBA champions that season.
These teams will meet again Thursday at the Fiserv Forum, where the Bucks will try to make changes.
“No one is happy with the result, no one feels good about it, but your process and the way you approach yourself will have to go back and look at things and see where you can improve,” said Mike Budenholzer, coach of Bucks.
Earlier in the day, the Bucks also announced during a press conference that they would take a step-by-step approach to welcoming fans into their next three games, which would be open to families of players and guests only. They started with 250 fans on Tuesday and will increase to 500 for Thursday’s game and 750 on Friday, before opening the games to the general public starting Sunday, when about 1,800 fans will be allowed.
Even with the fans behind, they couldn’t avoid the last loss.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who has fought Milwaukee on numerous occasions, including the postseason, said he does not see the Bucks fighting continuing.
“In a normal year, I would probably be a little surprised. But I think there are all sorts of things with various teams in the league, and there are as many teams a couple of games above .500 and a couple below, as probably more than half of the league, ”Nurse said. “I don’t really look at it that closely. So I think they sure have all the pieces, they have depth, they have experience and they have it all; and I think they are among a group of teams that will continue to play better in the second half and preparing for a long run in the playoffs. They have all the tools they need. “