Post Game Report Card: Raps Blow 20 point Lead & Lose to Bucks

The Toronto Raptors lost today at home in heartbreaker. In typical Raptor fashion they blew a twenty point lead, this time by the end of the first half. Toronto managed to have four starters with at least twenty points. Amir Johnson had another brilliant performance finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds. However it was the lack of bench production that really sunk the Raptors in this game. Toronto’s bench was outscored 43-7.  Kyle Lowry was a black hole on offence and Raptors rookie Terrence Ross only saw the court for three minutes.

Offence: B–

The Toronto Raptors managed to put up 96 points at home in a losing effort against the Milwaukee Bucks.  The Raptors shot 42% from the field, and only connected on three 3-pointers all afternoon. The starters contributed the majority of the scoring combining for 89 points. The Raptors bench was virtually nonexistent in this game.

Defence: C

Toronto allowed Milwaukee to convert on 52% of their field goal attempts. Veteran forward Mike Dunleavy had a resurrection against this Raptors team coming off the bench. Brandon Jennings was also able to carve up this Raptors defence providing efficient scoring and ball distribution tallying 10 assists in this contest. The Raptors lead 34-16 after the first twelve minutes of action and allowed for the Bucks to chip away and find themselves back in the game by halftime.

Rebounding: C+

The Raptors may have outrebounded the Bucks this afternoon by a margin of 40-32, however they still did not come through with a victory. The reason that Milwaukee lost on the glass today is because they were converting on most of their offensive possesions. The Raptors had 17 offensive rebounds, while the Bucks only had 8, so this statistic is slightly misleading when looking at the game.

Game Ball:

Not a strong believer that the game ball should ever go to the losing team. So today, the game ball goes to North Carolina rookie John Henson. Henson came off the bench for the Bucks and was able not only block a few shots, but also alter a few in the lane with his length and timing. Not only was Henson a defensive presence for the Bucks, but he also contributed on the offensive end with 19 points in twenty-two minutes of action.

Photo Cred: (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)