In the first NBA Cup action of the year, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the Toronto Raptors 99-85 in an NBA Cup game between teams that entered with the two worst records in the league.

Bobby Portis added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Brook Lopez scored 13 points while AJ Green and Ryan Rollins had 12 apiece.

Gradey Dick paced the Raptors with 32 points, a career high for the second-year player. Jakob Poeltl scored 13 points and Chris Boucher had 12

With Damian Lillard sidelined due to the concussion protocol, Milwaukee trotted out a unique starting lineup that consisted of AJ Green and Ryan Rollins.

Despite the unfamiliarity among the starting five, the Bucks still pieced together a strong start. However, the young-flying Raptors hung around, slicing the deficit to 26-21 going into the second quarter.

The 3-point disparity between the two teams shaped up to be pretty telling between the two teams as the second quarter continued. At the break, the Bucks had attempted 31 3-point attempts compared to Toronto’s six. Despite that, Milwaukee’s lead wasn’t as big as you might’ve expected, sitting at 54-43 at halftime.

In what has become an unfortunate tradition for the Bucks to kick off the year, they laid an absolute egg to begin the second half with Toronto getting right back into things. However, Milwaukee rebounded by securing another double-digit advantage through defense led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Heading into the final quarter, a Bobby Portis buzzer-beater granted the Bucks an 81-67 lead.

From that point on, the Bucks’ lead never faced any true danger of being erased. They did a strong job of holding off Toronto and put the final touches on a well-needed victory. When the buzzer sounded, Milwaukee earned a 99-85 victory.

Milwaukee ended a two-game skid to improve to 3-8, while Toronto has lost five straight and is 2-10.