STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Raptors win in Milwaukee without Leonard, Barnes and Quickley
Toronto trailed by 15 and played without Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, then outscored Milwaukee 70-47 in the second half.
The picture is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph from the match
Milwaukee started 1-8 for the first time since a 1993-94 club that lost 10 of its first 11 games and finished 20-62, and this defeat arrived after a 10-2 run that had briefly looked like the answer to a nine-point deficit.
Six of seven from the arc
Martin finished with 27 points in 31 minutes on 9-of-11 shooting, six of seven from three-point range, four rebounds, two steals and a plus-22 rating.
Toronto's first lead of the game arrived on Martin's three-pointer that made it 71-69 with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
Martin is a 2025 second-round pick out of Florida who had entered Friday having made 6 of 27 three-point attempts across his career to that point.
Jamal Shead set a career high with 16 assists alongside 10 points and a plus-23, and Collin Murray-Boyles added 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Jakob Poeltl matched those 19 points with 11 rebounds and six of them on the offensive glass, plus three steals in 31 minutes.
Milwaukee's fortnight of almost
Tyler Herro finished with 23 points and 10 assists but was 1 of 5 from three until the attempt that put Milwaukee back in front 22 seconds after Martin's three had given Toronto their first lead.
Milwaukee's 79-73 was the last time it led. A nine-point answer followed, closed by Graves' three-point play, and the Bucks never finished a sequence in front again.
The Bucks are 1-8, the slowest start in the franchise's history since the 1993-94 team that lost 10 of its first 11 games and went on to finish 20-62.
Rookie Brayden Burries set career highs with 21 points and 11 rebounds, five of them offensive, and Myles Turner scored no points in 24 minutes on 0 of 7 from the floor.
Toronto's defence produced 12 steals and 27 points off Milwaukee's 21 turnovers, and the Raptors converted 24 of 31 free throws in the game.
The group table and the standings behind it
Toronto moved to 1-1 in NBA Cup group play and 5-4 overall; Milwaukee fell to 0-1 in the Cup and 1-8 in the league, part of an East Group A that also holds Detroit, Orlando and Brooklyn.
The Raptors were playing without a seven-time all-NBA selection in Leonard, a two-time All-Star in Barnes and their starting guard Quickley, with Leonard missing a seventh consecutive game.
Four players in street clothes and still 28 assists: this is what a rotation built on ball movement looks like when the primary options are missing. Toronto finished with 44 made shots in 93 attempts.
RJ Barrett carried the other half of the scoring with 27 points on nine of 21 and nine of 11 from the line, plus seven rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes.
Up next: the Raptors host the Grizzlies on Monday night, and the Bucks stay home for a Sunday game against the Boston Celtics.
Editor's take: Toronto won this with 12 steals and a second half of 70 points while missing three of its best players. The ceiling argument writes itself.
Sources:
