Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from win vs. Bucks

3. Team basketball beats individual stardom

As mentioned before, the Toronto Raptors got pretty much nothing out of their bench unit against the Bucks. But even so, this impressive win has to be considered a great team performance.

You could make a case that some of the team’s big stars played the biggest role in securing the W, but then again, you would unfairly underestimate the rest of the starting five.

The five starters shot a combined 41-for-67 from the field, with their worst shooting performances coming out of Fred VanVleet and Kawhi Leonard, who were 50 percent from the field. Some very patient offense allowed the Raptors to always get the best look possible, leading to buckets on buckets.

Four members of the Raptors scored 20 or more points, including two 30-point performances by the team’s biggest candidates for an end-of-season award, Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam.

Even with a god-like performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who tallied 43 points and 18 rebounds, the Raptors managed to edge the Bucks, who got very little help from their supporting cast.

It is clear to say that the Raptors did not quite manage to slow down the Greek Freak. But they could be the kryptonite to the Bucks as a whole, and most basketball fans know that no championship has ever been won by one player alone.