Danny Green struggled to have the impact a player of his caliber should have as a utility man for the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The 3-and-D specialist put up only six points and six rebounds, taking only five shots despite being part of an eight-man rotation employed by coach Nick Nurse.
Following the game, point guard Kyle Lowry, who led the way with a team-high 30 points, noted the team must find ways to get Green cleaner looks:
“We have one of the best shooters in the NBA and we've gotta find ways to get him open,” said Lowry in regards to Green, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.
Green, who made 198 threes during the regular season and ranked second in 3-point shooting efficiency in the regular season (45.5%), didn't seem too worried:
“I talked to K-Low about it,” said Green. “We'll figure things out.”
Conversely, Green thinks the Raptors should have done a better job of helping Lowry, whose five baskets were the only ones scored by Toronto in the fourth quarter, as the rest of the team went a dismal 0-for-15 from the floor:
“The way he played last night, I think was most disappointing for myself and for us of not stepping up and taking care of that game,” said Green after a 108-100 Game 1 loss. “When he plays that well we've gotta win games like that.”
Lowry shook off all the criticism surrounding his poor play in the postseason, especially in Game 1s, where he has historically come up short. According to Green, the injury to Lowry's finger could have been a blessing in disguise, as he shot a blistering 7-of-9 from beyond the arc on Wednesday:
“I think the finger (injuries) helped him,” said Green jokingly. “They popped out and he's the only one hitting shots for us right now. So hopefully other guys get a couple fingers dislocated and make some shots.”
Injured or not, the Raptors will have to take a game on the road to swing the series back into their favor, as the Bucks lead the series 1-0 and are only three wins away from reaching the NBA Finals.
Follow Us
Subscribe