Raptors injury update frames a short-handed comeback
Raptors injury update: Toronto, short-handed and trailing by 15, beat the Milwaukee Bucks 121-107 on Friday night in an NBA Cup game. The visitors were down nine at halftime and did not hold a lead until the third quarter.
Toronto had been outscored 41-15 in the third quarter at Denver on Wednesday. This third quarter ran the other way. Alijah Martin's 3-pointer at the 5:41 mark gave the Raptors their first lead, Tyler Herro answered on the next possession, and Toronto took it back for good.
A 9-0 run, capped by an Allen Graves layup and the ensuing free throw, made it 82-79 with 2:17 left in the third. Milwaukee never led again.
Alijah Martin and the Toronto bench
Martin scored a career-high 27 points off the bench. RJ Barrett matched him with 27, erupting after halftime, and Jamal Shead recorded 10 points and a career-high 16 assists. Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Boyles each scored 19, with Poeltl adding 11 rebounds.
Jakob Poeltl's fourth quarter
Poeltl managed eight points and five rebounds in Wednesday's loss. On Friday he closed with 11 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter alone, the stretch that put the game out of reach.
Milwaukee's fifth straight loss
Herro led Milwaukee with 23 points and 10 assists. Rookie Brayden Burries posted career highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds; Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 14 points, Kyle Kuzma 13, AJ Green 12 and Ryan Rollins 10.
Milwaukee led by 14 in the first quarter after an early scoring barrage, then a 14-3 Toronto run trimmed it to 29-24 after one. The teams combined to shoot 5-for-23 from 3-point range in the quarter. Burries scored 11 of Milwaukee's 31 second-quarter points as the Bucks took a 60-51 halftime lead.
The result marked Toronto's fourth straight win over Milwaukee.
Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley out
Scottie Barnes (groin/adductor) and Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) were injury absences for Toronto. The game report also listed Kawhi Leonard (knee), sidelined for nearly two weeks, among the unavailable players for the visitors.
Analysis: where Toronto's minutes came from
With Barnes and Quickley unavailable, Toronto's second unit carried a larger share of the offense. Martin's career-high 27 points and Shead's 16 assists are the measurable part of that shift. Whether the arrangement holds depends on how quickly the two starters clear.
The original report was published by gmanetwork.com.
