NBA Playoffs 2019: 3 Talking points from Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks

Final Score: Milwaukee Bucks 125 - 103 Toronto Raptors

After losing Game 1 by eight points, the Toronto Raptors entered Game 2 looking to steal one and go back home to host the Bucks for Game 3 and 4. However, nothing went as per their plan as the Bucks came out strongly from the very first quarter and ended up picking up an easy blowout win.

The Bucks jumped to a 2-0 lead with this win and will have a huge momentum on their side going into Game 3 on the road. The Raptors will need everyone to chip in for Game 3 or this series will be over very soon. Let us take a look at three talking points from the Bucks' Game 2 win at home.

#3 Kawhi did not get enough help from his teammates

Lowry had a disappointing game and scored 15 points on 4-13 shooting

Kawhi Leonard has been the heart of this team all season long and he is the sole reason why the Raptors ended up at the second spot in the East. The 27-year-old is widely regarded as a top 3 two-way player and has really lived up to that reputation.

Even on the nights everyone else failed to perform, Kawhi has always showed up and took them home. That has been the trend for the entire regular season and the playoffs have been no different as the Klaw has been carrying the load heavily on both ends of the floor.

In Game 2, it was once again Leonard who came up big for the Blazers and kept them alive even though he did not get the help he deserved. Kyle Lowry has always been criticized for his dud performances in the playoffs.

After silencing the critics with a stellar performance in Game 1, Lowry had yet another mediocre game and scored just 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting. Apart from Lowry, veteran center Marc Gasol also struggled and scored just 2 points after featuring in 19 minutes of action. Forward Pascal Siakam who has been struggling lately had 8 points in the game.

#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo's hot start to the game

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and had 17 rebounds for a double-double

Stat line: 30 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks on 10-20 shooting

Giannis Antetokounmpo started the game by collecting his own rebound off a missed floater and finishing it strongly at the rim. He then had a huge block on Marc Gasol in the paint before slamming home yet another dunk.

The message was loud and clear. Giannis wanted to stay aggressive and he started off in that fashion. His strong first quarter gave the Bucks a 35-21 first quarter lead and the Raptors never led in that period.

The Bucks capitalized on this nicely and led by as many as 25 points at the half. Giannis went on to finish with 30 points, 17 rebounds for yet another double-double. The Greek Freak also made his presence felt on the defensive end as he blocked two shots and had a steal.

#1 The Raptors' bench got outscored by the Bucks' bench 39-54

George Hill scored 13 points coming off the bench for the Bucks

The Bucks' roster is a very deep one and it was just about time everyone showed up as the bench players combined for 54 points with Ersan Ilyasova leading the charge with 17 points. He was well supported by the 2017 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, who had 14 points and George Hill 13.

While the Bucks' starters did set the tone for the bench players to come out and do their job, credits need to be given to the bench for doing exactly that. They were aggressive and did not show any signs of nervousness.

Even though this was just Brogdon's third playoffs game this season, he looked really confident and shot 5-for-10 from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. With the Bucks getting outscored by the Raptors 31-16 in the first nine minutes of the third quarter, the lead was cut down to just 13 points from 26 at halftime.

However, Brogdon and Hill made some key plays to push the lead further and the Bucks eventually ended up blowing out the Raptors. For the Raptors, only Norman Powell ended up in double-digits with 14 points.