MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Bucks are back in Milwaukee looking to regain momentum in the Eastern Conference finals.
Coach Mike Budenholzer believes the play of his bench will be a major factor in what happens in Game 5 on Thursday.
The Bucks reserves played so well in the first two games of the series that the teams’ apparel shop unveiled a “Bench Mob” T-shirt, celebrating the efforts of Malcolm Brogdon, Ersan Ilyasova, George Hill and others.
Milwaukee’s bench outscored Toronto’s reserves 130-78 through the first three games of the series.
But it was the Raptors’ bench, led by forward Norman Powell’s 18 points, that decided Game 4 – scoring 48 points Tuesday as Toronto evened the series at 2-2.
“They need to play well,” Budenholzer said Wednesday of his reserves. “I think our whole team, whether it be the bench or the starters, needs to be better defensively. I think there’s things offensively where the bench can, you know, just like the rest of us, we have to execute a little bit better. … this series, the benches have been critical and very influential and credit to Toronto’s bench, particularly. They really stepped up and had a huge game, and we need that from our group.”
Serge Ibaka gave the Raptors a lift off the bench Tuesday with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Fellow Toronto reserve Fred VanVleet added 13 points and six assists. Their efforts came as the Raptors got only 19 points from a hobbled Kawhi Leonard.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse is confident his bench will continue to play well in Milwaukee because of Toronto’s style of play.
“That’s really kind of our system, would be that we create opportunities and everyone’s involved and everybody’s touching the ball,” he said. “Everybody’s moving and cutting. It’s kind of a free-flowing, open system.”
“If we play with the effort we’ve put in the last two games, actually three of the four games in the series, we are going to have a really good chance to win.
Nurse said. “We are going to put ourselves in position to win, and I don’t think it’s any tricky schemes or fabulous game plans. I think it’s our players playing their butts off, really.”
Brogdon, who returned from a foot injury in the Eastern Conference semifinals, missed his first seven shots Tuesday night and finished with just four points. None of the Milwaukee reserves scored in double digits.
“It was disappointing, but I mean, the series is 2-2,” said Bucks forward Kris Middleton, who finished with a game-high 30 points. “It’s not the end of the world. They protect their home court just like we did, and I know the fight is going to be a dogfight. First team to two wins. Can’t feel sorry for ourselves that we lost two in a row here. We have to go protect home court and go from there.”
