Bucks HC Mike Budenholzer: 'Hopefully We'll Be Better Between Now and Game 2'

While the Milwaukee Bucks opened the Eastern Conference Finals with a 108-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, coach Mike Budenholzer wasn't satisfied with his team's performance in Game 1.

"We feel like we can get better," Budenholzer told reporters. "To get this win after pretty significant days without playing, I think, hopefully we'll be better between now and Game 2."

A big night out of veteran center Brook Lopez (29 points) led the way.

MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points while also recording 14 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals.

While those two big men combined for 53 points, it wasn't the cleanest overall effort by Milwaukee as a team.

Toronto jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter and would remain in front until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. In total, the Raptors led for more than 34 consecutive minutes of game time before the two teams fought to the finish.

Ultimately, the Bucks outscored the Raptors 32-17 over the final 12 minutes to pull out the victory.

Milwaukee shot just 39.8 percent from the floor for the game while making just 11 of 44 attempts (25.0 percent) from three-point range. Meanwhile, it also committed 12 turnovers, leading to 20 Raptors points.

In other words, there is plenty of room for improvement for Budenholzer's squad.

The good news for the Bucks is they didn't let their rough shooting night affect them on the other end of the court. They held the Raptors to 37 percent from the field while giving up just 100 points. As Budenholzer told reporters after the game, "You can bring your defense every night."

Milwaukee did that on Wednesday, but Budenholzer will look to make adjustments in hopes of getting a better all-around performance in Game 2.