NBA Cup: Raptors @ Bucks, Nov. 12 Takeaways

Dick, Fernando's dunk were lone bright spots as the losses pile up

Toronto lost its NBA Cup opener and five-game road trip capper 99-85 to Milwaukee.

There was hope for a brief moment when Ochai Agbaji knocked down a triple to tie the game at 54 early in the third quarter, but the Bucks responded with a 21-5 run that effectively put the game out of reach. The closest Toronto got after that was 10 with just over five minutes remaining.

With the loss, the Raptors are now 0-7 on the road and a league-worst 2-10 for the season. The minds and bodies are weary, so naturally, what awaits them after a couple days off is a back-to-back set including a Saturday night in Boston.

Detroit travels to Toronto for another NBA Cup tilt on Friday night and cup games won’t resume until Nov. 29 after that. Let’s get to the takeaways:

Raptors lose inside battle

Milwaukee outscored Toronto 40-34 in the paint but it felt like a lot more watching the game.

The Raptors shot a woeful 13-of-38 (34.2%) within four feet of the basket, and the only saving grace was that while the Bucks shot 64% at the rim, they only attempted 25 shots in that range. If you take away Jakob Poeltl and Bruno Fernando going a combined 8-for-13 at the rim, it means the rest of the Raptors went 5-for-25 at the basket.

R.J. Barrett was 1-for-7, Gradey Dick shot 1-for-6, and Boucher was 2-for-5. Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined for seven blocks and were tremendous all night protecting the rim.

Milwaukee was intent on getting 3-point looks up in this one as 56 of its 94 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc despite shooting just 28.6% from there.

Dick in attack mode

Yes, Dick did struggle finishing his field goal attempts at the basket, but it’s great that it didn’t deter him from consistently taking it to the rack.

It’s simply stunning to think of the variety of ways in which Dick has grown so early into his second season. Against Milwaukee, he tied the franchise record for fewest field goals made (7) when scoring 30 or more.

Dick attempted 16 free-throws on the night, 11 of which came in the second quarter. Six of his free-throws came courtesy two 3-point attempts. The rest were on drives to the bucket or attempting to grab an offensive rebound as you can see below. The final clip where Dick takes it right at an elite shot blocker in Brook Lopez with force is so encouraging and is another one of those drives that’s aided by the way he’s leveled up physically this season.

Opposing big wing prototype wreaking havoc

After LeBron James had his way with the Raptors a couple nights ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo looked very comfotable against Toronto in this one.

With Scottie Barnes out, the Raptors are left with Ochai Agbaji and Jonathan Mogbo as the best defensive options against that big wing prototype. Agbaji, despite being a very capable defender, is too small for these matchups. Mogbo has shown promising flashes, but he’s still in a stage of taking notes while the professors give lectures.

This is where I anticipate there eventually being an awkward big picture conversation about R.J. Barrett — who had another inefficient night shooting 3-for-14. While there have been encouraging signs with his playmaking on the offensive side of the ball, Barrett hasn’t shown a hint of growth on the defensive end.

Barnes is at his absolute best defensively when he can play free safety and protect the rim, not chasing around elite wings on the perimeter. Dick’s 3-point volume is essential. You’re not putting Quickley or Poeltl on a big wing so where does that leave Barrett if he doesn’t improve his defence drastically?

Angola, this is for youuuuu

When you have a dunk like Bruno Fernando had over Antetokounmpo, you get a takeaway automatically. Just look at Barnes’ reaction, he looks like he’s literally just witnessed a murder.

It helps that Fernando had a decent night for himself with eight points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

Enough numbers, here’s the poster:

NBA Cup expectations

For those who’ve been following along, I’ve been in favour of Toronto pursuing a top four pick in the 2025 NBA Draft right from the summer. That being said, the NBA Cup is exactly where the Raptors should be looking to maximize the potential of this team in the present.

Teaching these young players to treat the cup games as playoff games is a good way to give them a taste of what that level of expectation is like. Yes, the intensity of the NBA Cup games still won’t quite match that of an actual playoff game, but these are opportunities that should be made the most of.

The absences of Barnes, Quickley, Brown, and Olynyk really hurt in this regard, but now you’re faced with an intriguing test in the form of a virtual must-win on a very purple court against the Pistons on Friday.

Notes

• Back in a starting role, Davion Mitchell finished with eight assists and four rebounds but only a solitary point. Against a Milwaukee defence where Brook Lopez is going to drop, drop, and drop some more, your guards have to be willing to let it fly yet Mitchell didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer.

• Immanuel Quickley is confirmed to have suffered a partial tear to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow and will be re-evaluated in a week. Noted injury analyst Jeff Stotts shared that this type of injury is very rare in the NBA and the only prior examples are Jimmy Butler and Kurt Thomas. The average time lost between the two was about four weeks.

• Coors Light has released three limited-edition cans for the Raptors’ 30th anniversary and were kind enough to send them my way. For a limited time only, Canadians can purchase the 30th anniversary cans at select LCBO stores and participating bars and restaurants across the GTA, including select locations at Scotiabank Arena. Fans can check out eraineverycan.com to learn more and enter for a chance to win exclusive Coors Light x Raptors prizes.