Pascal Siakam Shines as Giannis, Bucks Fall to Raptors for 5th-Straight Loss

The Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in three days after earning a 110-96 road win Thursday at Fiserv Forum.

Norman Powell scored 15 of his game-high 29 points in the first quarter, helping the Raptors take a 33-26 lead after 12 minutes and a 58-41 edge at halftime. Pascal Siakam had 27 points, including 13 in the first half.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led a struggling Bucks team with 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Milwaukee shot 39.8 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three-point range.

The Raptors played without point guard Kyle Lowry (sprained left thumb, left ankle soreness). DeAndre' Bembry replaced him in the starting five.

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (health and safety protocols) missed his sixth consecutive game. Bryn Forbes took Holiday's starting spot.

Toronto, which beat Milwaukee 124-113 on Tuesday, improved to 14-15. The 16-13 Bucks have dropped five straight.

Notable Performances

Raptors SG Norman Powell: 29 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Raptors PG Fred VanVleet: 17 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds

Raptors PF Pascal Siakam: 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo: 23 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists

Bucks F Khris Middleton: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists

Bucks G Donte DiVincenzo: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Powell Turns Tide in 1st Quarter, Raptors Never Look Back

The Bucks jumped out to an early 13-7 lead less than three minutes into the first quarter following a Bryn Forbes three-pointer, providing much hope that they were on their way to erasing their four-game losing streak.

Powell made sure that wasn't meant to be, however, as he knocked down all five of his field goals (including a trio of three-pointers) and a pair of free throws to help Toronto finish the first on a 26-13 run.

He somehow had a hand in all of the Raptors' next 14 points after being down 13-7. He scored nine of the points himself, assisted on a Siakam bucket and grabbed the defensive rebound that led to a possession which finished with a Fred VanVleet three.

Powell caught fire at the end of the first too, hitting a pair of threes to kickstart a 10-0 rally that ran into the second quarter.

Siakam took over from there, finishing the first half with 13 points of his own. The Raps then held a double-digit edge for the entire second half, coasting to another win.

Powell changed this game's storyline in the first quarter, stemming Milwaukee's early momentum and putting Toronto in control. But he's been fantastic even before this game, averaging 21.6 points on 51.1 percent shooting (44.4 percent from three-point range) in his last 12 contests.

Josh Eberley of HOOP praised Powell, who appears to have left past struggles (30.5 percent shooting during his first seven games) and criticism far behind:

ESPN's Bobby Marks also noted that Powell is playing himself into a lucrative deal in free agency should he opt out of his contract:

It would be well-deserved for Powell, who is not only playing himself into a massive deal but is also propelling the Raptors back into the top Eastern Conference tier.

Somehow, they're just two games behind third place and five behind first despite being 14-15, and the arrow is going up thanks in part to Powell.

Bucks' Slide Continues With 5th Straight Loss

Nothing is going right for the Bucks right now, as they lost their fifth straight game and third by double digits in their last four matchups.

The defeat marks the first time Milwaukee has lost five consecutive games under head coach Mike Budenholzer, per Statmuse.

The Bucks took a punch when Powell exploded for 15 first-quarter points, but they struggled to get off the mat from that point forward.

They went ice cold from the field, scoring just 15 second-quarter points and failing to hit a field goal for a 5:21 stretch during that time.

The offense improved in the third, but the defense couldn't stop the Raptors' attack, with Siakam, VanVleet and Powell combining for 25 of Toronto's 27 points.

The entire rotation struggled in this one.

The bench scored just 23 points, with Bobby Portis going scoreless until a last-second bucket.

Antetokounmpo struggled again from the free throw line, shooting 7-of-13 there.

Khris Middleton's cold streak continued, as he scored just 13 points and had more turnovers (six) than made field goals (five).

Donte DiVincenzo had just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting (and 0-of-4 from downtown) before a pair of late threes.

Granted, losing Holiday for an extended period of time has undoubtedly led to struggles. The team has gone 1-5 since Holiday was sidelined, and the team misses his scoring and playmaking abilities on offense and his tenacity on defense.

On the bright side, they have plenty of time to figure things out, and the team has six home games in a row coming up.

Milwaukee still sports a winning record at 16-13, which is somehow good enough for third in the Eastern Conference, just three games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for first. The skid hurts, but it hasn't had a drastic impact on its place in the standings.

But the problem is the Bucks have now played two straight games against a losing and shorthanded Raptors team that has had its own struggles and come out completely flat on their home court.

The Bucks look lost and simply don't have any answers right now. It's hard seeing them find any until Holiday comes back.

What's Next?

The Raptors will visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 9 p.m. ET in Minneapolis' Target Center. Milwaukee will stay home to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at 8 p.m.