Brandon Ingram scored 29 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 111-105 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kyle Kuzma.
After ending a four-game losing skid, Toronto secured its second straight win. Scottie Barnes added 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Bobby Portis led the Bucks with 24 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, Kevin Porter Jr. added 22 points with 13 assists and Myles Turner scored 21. It’s the second loss in a row for Milwaukee, which has dropped 12 of its last 15 contests.
Toronto quickly gained the momentum in this one, growing a double-digit advantage midway through the opening quarter. They made 5 of 8 from beyond the arc in the quarter to build the lead.
Milwaukee would stay in it as Turner and Portis found their strokes. Turner had 15 while Portis had 12 at the halftime break as they cut their deficit down to four, 57-53.
It appeared the Bucks would take that momentum into the third as they briefly grabbed the lead. Toronto then went on an 8-0 run late in the quarter to regain the edge and take a 83-76 lead into the fourth.
Milwaukee would continue to hang around. The Bucks went on an 8-2 run to bring the deficit down to just three midway through the quarter. Ultimately, Milwaukee couldn’t get the stops they needed in the final minutes.
Toronto shot an even 50% from the floor in the game and outscored Milwaukee 19-4 in fast break points. They also dominated in the paint, scoring 44 points to Milwaukee’s 28.
The Raptors win their second in a row over Milwaukee and improve to 2-1 over their Eastern Conference foes this season. The teams will face off once more on Feb. 22.
