The Toronto Raptors have done it once already, chasing down a Milwaukee Bucks team that seemed to be sprinting to the NBA Finals.
Catching them in the standings this season seems unlikely, with the Bucks (49-8) on their way perhaps to one of the best records in league history.
But Toronto might get another shot in the postseason, and before then the Raptors will get three more chances to see how they measure up against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
The first comes Tuesday night in Toronto, where the Raptors had the most lopsided win in their franchise history two nights earlier.
The Bucks specialize in lopsided victories, beating teams by 12.4 points per game entering the week, on pace to post the largest average margin of victory in league history.
“Every game I watch them play it’s 32-12 at the end of one. Every single one. Or, 32-22 like, the closest,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said Sunday.
The Bucks were the NBA’s best team in the regular season in 2018-19, but the Raptors stormed back from a 2-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to win four straight on the way to their first championship. But this season, Nurse said the Bucks are deeper, bigger and more experienced, so much better than their opponents that he said their games are boring.
“I watch them play and they win every game by 20 points,” Nurse said. “I don’t know what to make of it, other than nobody can even come close to them.”
Milwaukee did play a rare close game Monday, needing overtime to edge Washington.
Milwaukee has been so good that Toronto has won 17 of its last 18 games after its 127-81 rout of Indiana and gained only one game in the standings while the Bucks went 16-2.
The teams are playing for the first time since the Bucks’ victory in early November. They will also play a home-and-home series to begin April, so Nurse won’t get too caught up in whatever happens Tuesday.
“They’ve really got it going so it’ll be a challenge but we’ll be OK. Either way it goes next game we’ll be fine,” Nurse said. “Keep on keeping on until we get to where we’ve got to go.”
ZION VS. LEBRON
Zion Williamson was perhaps the most hyped player entering the NBA since LeBron James, and so far he’s done pretty well living up to the expectations.
Now he gets to see how he measures up against James himself.
