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Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 4 loss vs. Raptors

By Daniel Lubofsky

TORONTO, ON- MAY 21 - The Milwaukee Bucks watch the final minutes of the game as the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks in game four 120-102 to even up the Eastern Conference NBA Final at two games each at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. May 21, 2019. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON- MAY 21 - The Milwaukee Bucks watch the final minutes of the game as the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks in game four 120-102 to even up the Eastern Conference NBA Final at two games each at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. May 21, 2019. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Free throw struggles plague the Bucks

Across the 82-game regular season, Milwaukee was a middle-of-the-pack unit at the free throw line. It possessed incredible snipers who could stroke it from distance, but that oddly didn’t help when it came time to shoot a standstill, uncontested 15-feet jumper.

The Bucks were 15th in attempts per game, 12th in makes per game and 14th in percentage. This clearly didn’t affect their offensive output as a whole with the highest-scoring offense in the league, but it was an issue that could come back to haunt them come playoff time.

In Game 4, those struggles reared their ugly head once again. The free throw battle was just about even between the two teams, with the Raptors owning the slight edge by a single attempt. Yet, Toronto only missed three of its 27 freebies, while the Bucks clanked nine of their 26 looks off various parts of the rim.

The margin of victory was over double the nine points the Bucks let slip through their grasp, and no team is expected shoot perfectly from the foul line. Yet the 65.4 percent they shot from the stripe is simply too low for a playoff game that can come down to just a few late possessions.

Milwaukee doesn’t have any reputably poor free throw shooters on its roster. Giannis has struggled mightily during this series at just 64.5 percent. For as many fouls as he draws attacking the bucket, that figure has to be higher in order to maximize efficiency, but he was above the 70.0 percent mark during the regular season.

Of the Bucks’ top eight leaders in minutes per game during the regular season, six shot above 80.0 percent. In the postseason, that number is down to three. There is no adjustment to be made or a secret strategy to unearth. The players simply have to do a better job at making good on one of the easiest shots in basketball.

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