“Haven’t Found Our Groove Yet”: Bucks Forward Reflects on the Reasons Behind Their Lack of Recent Success

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered defeat at the hands of a bright Toronto Raptors team, who seem to be gaining confidence with every win. While the Raptors camp can rejoice, it won’t be too happy inside the Bucks’ locker room. It is their fourth loss since the restart, a performance to forget so far for the deers. 

NBA veteran Kyle Korver was demanded to put up a strong performance in a game where the Bucks lacked leadership. The 39-year-old stepped up and racked up 19.0 points and top-scored for the Bucks. 

Following the loss, Korver was asked a tricky question by the media. Are the Bucks finding it hard to adapt to the restart? They have lost quite a few games and the playoffs are right around the corner.  Here’s what Korver thinks: 

“I think we just haven’t found our groove yet,” Korver said. “On all the teams that I’ve been on, this is when there’s a turning point for the team. You either take this on and you move towards better and you move towards good, or you can take the wrong way. 

“I’m not going to say we are a that point, but we are certainty close,” he continued. “I believe in the character of our group, I think we have a bunch of guys who want to do the right thing. I believe in our culture and I think we are going to figure it out.” 

Kyle Korver recorded impeccable stats against the Raptors as he converted five of the six shots that he took from the field. The Bucks’ #26 had similar success from behind the three-point line as well. He averaged 83.3% in threes by making four out of his five attempts. 

The Raptors brilliantly outplayed the Bucks

The Bucks did not look much confident in a game where their star man Giannis Antetokounmpo was unable to contribute. Khris Middleton, however, recorded 25 minutes on the night, but only put up 17.0 points, failing to bring out his 3-point game. 

On the other hand, the Toronto Raptors put up an impressive performance. Wounded by the absence of Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Fred VanVleet from the game, the Raptors showed no signs of backing down. 

26-year-old rookie Matt Thomas had a great outing against the Bucks. Thomas is one among the Raptors players that posted career-high points against a demotivated Milwaukee side. He scored 22.0 points in Toronto’s win, while two-time NBA champ Chris Boucher also notched up a career-high performance of 25.0 points. 

Overall, the Raptors winning via an eight-point margin does not tell the entire story. Though the Bucks shot better three’s and converted more free throws, it was the depth of the Raptors team that shone bright in the night. Without three experienced veterans, a young team from the North came out and overshadowed the league leaders. 

Source: Milwaukee Bucks – Twitter,  NBA.com – Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks