The Toronto Raptors were without three of their top four players against the Milwaukee Bucks. Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley both missed the contest along with Kawhi Leonard who missed his sixth consecutive game.

With the extra minutes up for grabs, quite a few Raptors made the most of the opportunity. Alijah Martin co-led Toronto with 27 points in just 29 minutes alongside RJ Barrett. Martin shot 9-11 from the field and 6-7 from beyond the arc. Additionally, Jamal Shead finished with a team high fifteen assists after dishing out ten in the first half.

However, there is much more to take away from this game than the what is reflected in the final score. Here are three takeaways that Raptors fans should know.

The Raptors Fought Hard, Even When Things Weren't Perfect

There was a lot of dialogue around the Raptors' performance in third quarters this season, including from myself. Tonight they made many eat their words, as they put together their best performance out of the half yet as they outscored Milwaukee 38-27.

Trailing by nine heading into the half without their key offensive playmakers, it would have been very easy for Toronto to let the game get out of hand. They were out-rebounded 24-14 in the first half and still managed to snag a victory from the jaws of defeat with an emphatic 17 point victory.

Toronto's Perimeter Shooting Struggles Continued

Diving deeper into one of the aspects where the Raptors were not perfect, they shot just 9 of 32 from beyond the arc against Milwaukee. Coming into the matchup, the Raptors ranked 26th in the NBA with a 31.6 per cent three point percentage as a team.

Alijah Martin was a bright spot however, as he went 6-7 from the perimeter tonight. Toronto may give him a larger role going forward to see if he can continue this level of production. The Raptors may also explore trading for a sharpshooter if they continue to struggle with hitting shots consistently from beyond the arc.

Jamal Shead Demanding a Bigger Role?

Shead slotted into the starting lineup with the absence of Immanuel Quickley. Through the first eight games of the season, Shead averaged 5.5 points and 5.4 assists in 21.6 minutes. In his first 22 minutes against the Bucks, he had eight points and fifteen (yes fifteen!) assists.

While it is unclear how long Quickley will be sidelined, Shead appeared to fill the void quite nicely. Going forward, Head Coach Darko Rajakovic may utilize Shead as a secondary playmaker. Keep a close eye on Quickley as a potential trade piece later in the season if Shead keeps playing at this level.

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