Toronto Raptors top five performances from an exciting week two

1. Kyle Lowry

Opponent: Milwaukee Bucks

Stat Line: 36 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 38 minutes, -2

Another rematch, as the Milwaukee Bucks were looking for revenge after losing four straight to the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs. It didn’t help that this game was played in Milwaukee in front of a hostile crowd who also remembered how last year ended.

The Bucks looked like a team on a mission right off the bat, getting off to a 36-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. Lowry scored eight of the Raptors 17 in that frame, but it was clear that they needed more on the offensive end.

He scored another nine points in the 2nd quarter but Toronto still couldn’t seem to close the gap and trailed by 16 at half time. Last season, the Raptors could rely on Kawhi Leonard to take them on a scoring run and get them back in the game, but without Leonard this season and Siakam struggling to score, the Raptors looked doomed heading into the 3rd quarter.

But Lowry wouldn’t let the Raptors go down without a fight. With Toronto still struggling to score, Lowry took over in the third quarter, scoring 17 points and assisting in seven more points to bring the Raptors all the way back from 16 down to a 90-95 at the end of the 3rd.

Unfortunately, the Raptors couldn’t get it done in Milwaukee as the Bucks clinched the game in the fourth and ended up winning by 10 points. After all the talk of Lowry declining after a low scoring last season, he’s stepped it up this year in a big way with averages of 24.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 6.8 assists per game. He’s playing at an All-Star level right now.