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The Milwaukee Bucks have been viewed as the favorite in the Eastern Conference all season, but are the defending champion Toronto Raptors looking to take that title? With the two sides set to square off on Monday night, the debate train is building steam.
The Raptors are rolling right now. In fact, the team has won four of its first five games inside the NBA's bubble, including a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Toronto was defeated handily by the Boston Celtics on Friday, 122-100.
Following Friday's loss, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse noted that he is looking for a little bit more production from some of his players:
“I'm not really concerned about some of the main guys, but there are a couple of guys that need to play a little better since the restart and I'm glad we still have four games to get them going and give them that chance,” Nurse told ESPN after Friday's loss to Boston.
“I'm not worried about their work ethic or their conditioning or some of those things,” Nurse added. “I just need to get them a little more confident, have things go their way a little bit more.”
Milwaukee, on the other hand, has struggled a bit, going 2-3 through its first five outings in Florida. Notably, though, the Bucks defeated Toronto in each of their previous two meetings this season.
Unfortunately, with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out Monday, this third matchup won't mean much of anything. Still, with the Bucks scuffling a bit and the Raptors rounding into form, the discussion about the East favorite is getting more intriguing by the day.
When the 2019-20 season first resumed inside the Orlando bubble, most oddsmakers viewed the Bucks as a clear-cut favorite to face the best from the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. In fact, Milwaukee was sitting at -185 when the bubble campaign began, according to Bovada's odds at OddsShark.com. Deservedly so, as the team had compiled the best record in the league before the coronavirus hiatus. For the record, Toronto was listed at +600 at that time.
The odds have tightened a bit between the two squads. Bovada now has the Bucks at -160 to win the East, with the Raptors at +350. Milwaukee has locked up the No. 1 seed, while Toronto is also locked in at No. 2.
According to ESPN's statistics, the Raptors have been the league's best defensive team inside the bubble. However, they've also been the second-worst team offensively — only ahead of the Lakers. Missed 3-pointers and turnovers have played a big role in that figure.
Giannis has been great for the Bucks in the bubble, but other members of the team have struggled, including guards George Hill and Donte DiVincenzo (combined 7-for-30 from downtown). Another interesting tidbit is the fact that Milwaukee is currently ranked 13th in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency through their first five outings in Florida. That will need to improve come playoff time in order to win it all.
Although the Raptors are surging behind solid play from Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, we're still giving the edge to the Bucks in this debate. It's not crystal clear, though. Milwaukee is still giving up too many triples and being a bit careless offensively, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been finding himself in foul trouble.
Giannis had a double-double in Saturday's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks (34 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks). It wasn't enough, though, and The Greek Freak wound up fouling out in the final seconds. Luka Doncic lifted the Mavs to a 136-132 victory in overtime, finishing with an NBA-leading 17th triple-double.
Though they were defeated by the Mavs, Bucks center Brook Lopez believes his team is ready for a postseason push:
“I think we feel like we're ready for the playoffs,” said Lopez, who scored 34 points against the Mavericks, via ESPN. “It's not really in our DNA as a team to go out there and just walk through these next three games. We're going to go out there and do our best, compete. Keep learning. And take it a game at a time. Obviously, it's not quite playoff time yet.”
Last year, the Bucks and Raptors met in the Eastern Conference Finals, resulting in a thrilling six-game series. Toronto defeated Milwaukee and eventually went on to claim its first NBA championship, topping the Golden State Warriors.
Hold tight, though, because we might be in store for a second installment. While this one wouldn't include Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors still have that championship mettle with guys like Lowry, Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Marc Gasol. The Bucks should still be the favorite, but don't count out Toronto.
