TORONTO - The Milwaukee Bucks had had enough.
Entering Friday's game at the Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Raptors had won 15 of the past 17 meetings between the two franchises, not counting the last three in a row in a 4-2 series victory for Toronto that sent the Bucks out of last season's playoffs.
“You’ve got to understand, this team sent us home last year," Bucks guard Jason Terry said in a halftime television interview. "This game is personal; this is a pride thing. At some point, you’re going to get tired of a team whooping your butt every time you face them.”
The emotion behind Terry's words was evident all night long. You saw it in Sterling Brown jawing with Kyle Lowry after the third-quarter buzzer as well as in the fire from both teams as they battled for 48 minutes and into an overtime period for the second time in as many games at the Air Canada Centre this season. You also saw it in Giannis Antetokounmpo diving for a loose ball in the extra period that found Terry for a key three-pointer.
This time, the Bucks came out with the victory. And it was none other than Terry who helped finish it, knocking down a pair of free throws with 0.4 of a second left to put the game at its final margin, 122-119.
Antetokounmpo scored a team-high 26 points to go with 12 rebounds while Khris Middleton contributed 21 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime. Eric Bledsoe added 21 points of his own and Terry finished with 14 points, including making 4 of 5 three-pointers.
“It’s a big gut-check, a big win for us," Middleton said.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 122, Raptors 119 (OT)
It looked like the Bucks might avoid the tension of overtime this time around. They led by one with 3.3 seconds left in regulation when Middleton drew a foul. An 86.2% free-throw shooter, Middleton's first attempt rolled along the rim and out. He then made the second.
The Raptors, which had erased a second-half deficit as large as 12 thanks in large part to DeMar DeRozan who had 33 points on the night, didn't go with one of their two all-stars for the final play. Instead, they inbounded to center Jonas Valanciunas, who faked a handoff and roared past John Henson for a thunderous dunk at the buzzer to force overtime.
The Raptors opened the extra period on a 5-0 run, but Antetokounmpo stabilized things with a jumper. On Milwaukee's next possession, Antetokounmpo looked like he was going to lose the ball out of bounds, but made a diving save that went right to Terry in the corner. Terry immediately hoisted a trey as the shot clock ran down and sank it to tie the score.
“That’s not going to show up anywhere other than the fact that we see it," Bucks coach Joe Prunty said. "That is a winning basketball play and over the course of 48 minutes or 53, whatever it’s going to be in a game, those are the plays that win or lose games. … That’s a heck of a play.”
Middleton then made a triple to cap an 8-0 run that put the Bucks ahead with just under two minutes left. Milwaukee kept that lead thanks in large part to Antetokounmpo sinking a baseline fadeaway with 13.1 seconds left, followed by Terry's clutch free throws late.
“That’s growth," Antetokounmpo said. "We showed growth as a team tonight. They came back, we battled our way through the fourth quarter, we had the lead, they made a tough play down the stretch to tie the game. In overtime, they went 5-0, but we were able to play hard, play together, trust one another and make plays and that’s why we got the win.”
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
Second serving: The Bucks led for much of the game after the first quarter, thanks to a dominant second period. Their 42-point outburst in that period represented their highest-scoring period this season. During the second, Middleton scored 12 points and the Bucks made all six of their three-point attempts.
Middleton's success — as well as the Bucks' proclivity for making threes — came together in a rare five-point play. Late in the second, Middleton got fouled by DeRozan on a made three-pointer, he then made the free throw along with an extra one thanks to DeRozan getting tagged with a technical foul for arguing the call.
Bench options: Milwaukee got 42 points from their bench, led by the 14 from Terry. Thon Maker made his first four shots and had 12 points and Jabari Parker added 8 in 20 minutes, 45 seconds of action, his longest run this season.
Tidbits: The Bucks set a season-high with 18 turnovers — through just three quarters. They finished with 21 giveaways. ...
The Bucks won the rebounding battle, 51-37, including grabbing 13 offensive rebounds. Those extra chances led to 19 second-chance points.
UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (33-25) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (32-26).
When: 2 p.m. Sunday.
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center.
About the Pelicans: Entering Friday, their first game since the all-star break, the Pelicans were 4-5 since losing all-star center DeMarcus Cousins for the season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Fellow all-star Anthony Davis has shouldered even more of the load with Cousins out, averaging 31.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.1 blocks in the nine games following Cousins' injury. Forward Nikola Mirotic, whom the Pelicans acquired from the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 1, averaged 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in his first six contests with New Orleans. The Pelicans won the previous meeting between the two teams this season, 115-108, on Dec. 13.