Toronto Raptors Coach Praises Unsung Hero Vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
One of the key factors behind the Toronto Raptors’ surprising 130-111 blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night was their ability to shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo. The former back-to-back MVP still finished with 16 points so I’m not totally sure that counts as a total shutdown, but there’s no denying the fact that Antetokounmpo was unable to lead his team to victory against Toronto.
Raptors’ Unsung Hero Vs. Giannis, Milwaukee Bucks
One Raptors player, in particular, was integral to Toronto’s gameplan against Giannis and the Bucks. OG Anunoby drew the unenviable assignment of trying to defend Antetokounmpo, and for the most part, the 6-foot-7 wing did a stellar job in doing so.
With Anunoby as his primary defender, Giannis was held to just three points in the opening half, which is an absolute nod on Toronto’s defense against the former back-to-back MVP.
After the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had nothing but high praise for Anunoby for the integral role he played in Wednesday’s massive win:
“Huge. I mean, the problem with the stat sheet is that you cannot really see the effect that in a game O.G. (Anunoby) had tonight,” Rajakovic said, via Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. “The way that he was active and in right spots and following the game plan and making life on Giannis really really hard. I believe that Giannis had three points only in the first half. When you have their best player down to three points, that means a lot. He did a hell of a job, and part of that was (Jakob Poeltl’s) presence in the paint with rebounding, rim protection, he was also catching up and getting rhythm.
“Absolutely, like from jump, he was picking him up full court, he was not getting screened in pick-and-rolls. I found that he did outstanding job there as well and Jakob, his presence in pick-and-roll coverages was good as well. So it was good. Good. Following the game plan. Those guys did a really good job.”
Anunoby did not do it all by himself, though. The Raptors also threw the likes of Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes on Giannis all night long as they focused their defensive schemes on the Bucks talisman.
It was a risky tactic, no doubt, with the Bucks having more than a few players on their roster capable of capitalizing on the defense gravitating toward Antetokounmpo. However, with the rest of the team also putting in lackluster efforts on the evening, there’s no denying that the Raptors’ game plan absolutely paid off.
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