After losing the first game of the series on their homecourt, the Toronto Raptors were placed in a position where a loss could prove to be detrimental to the series. The Raptors needed Kyle Lowry to come back from his poor performance in Game 1, and he came through when they needed him most, hitting a shot to ice the win for them.
The game started out rocky as both teams struggled to hit shots from the field. Neither team was able to get a large lead or take control of the quarter. Jonas Valanciunas ran into foul trouble, getting two fouls in the first eight minutes of the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo only scored two points in the quarter but grabbed five rebounds. DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with 10 early points.
No words for @DeMar_DeRozan's double-clutch bank shot to end the 1Q…#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/sC6uQsQx5k
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 18, 2017
The Raptors opened the game up by hitting a three on three consecutive possessions — Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson, and P.J. Tucker put the Raptors up 36-27, but the Milwaukee Bucks came back with a 7-0 run of their own to bring the lead down to just two points. Toronto was unable to increase their lead, and they went into the half with a lead of 55-52.
The Bucks were able to take a lead early in the third, but the Raptors went on an 11-0 run with about seven minutes left to give them an 11 point advantage. However, Milwaukee was able to hang around just long enough to keep it a close game and they didn’t let it get out of hand. The Bucks managed to gain two points on the Raptors in the quarter, bringing the lead down to 83-84 with one quarter remaining.
The Greek Freak is in playoff form!! #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/PNKajfBZXK
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 19, 2017
While the lead to start the quarter was small, the Raptors started the fourth quarter hot, going on an 8-0 run to bring their lead back to 11, but the Bucks went on another 7-0 run that brought the lead down to six. Antetokounmpo, after having three bad quarters, started to take over and tied the game at 100 with a three at the two-minute mark. DeRozan hit a tough mid-range jumper to take the lead back, and then Tucker missed two big free throws that kept the lead at two. With 8.9 seconds remaining, Kyle Lowry redeemed himself from the previous game by hitting a tough jumper to give the Raptors a four-point lead — one in which they wouldn’t relinquish.
Kyle Lowry sinks the clutch stepback jumper As the #Raptors take game 2 and even the series at 1-1#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/VxcqaIobYf
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 19, 2017
The Toronto Raptors held off the Milwaukee Bucks to win Game 2 106-100. The team from Canada was able to even the series out at 1-1.
Antetokounmpo ended the game with 24 points on 9-24 shooting, and he added 15 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Kris Middleton contributed 20 points and five rebounds, Tony Snell helped with 14 points, and Greg Monroe scored 18 points on 6-9 shooting from the field.
DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with 23 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Kyle Lowry scored 22 points, and he grabbed four rebounds, dished out five assists, and added three steals and a block. Serge Ibaka contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. Despite early foul trouble, Valanciunas was able to score 10 points and grab 10 rebounds.
"I just wanted to come out more aggressive… that's what I did." – @KLow7 on improvement from Game 1 to Game 2 #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/sgkctcdpFy
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 19, 2017
Neither team had a real advantage in any one category except for field goal percentage. The Raptors only made one more shot than the Bucks, but they shot 48.1 percent from the field while the Bucks shot 41.4 percent. The Raptors also had six more free throw attempts, but again only made one more than Milwaukee.
The third game of the series will be played in Milwaukee on Thursday night at 8 p.m. The Bucks will look to take advantage at their home-court to give them a 2-1 edge.
