TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors were on a roll, and appeared to be on the cusp of winning seven games in a row for the first time in 13 years.
Instead, their good vibe came to a screeching halt in an ugly 82-75 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday that snapped the team's six-game winning streak, and left its captain Kyle Lowry speaking in terse four-word sentences.
"Had a bad game," said Lowry, who finished with just two points and five assists.
When asked about the team's lowly 32 per cent shooting percentage, Lowry answered: "Had a bad game."
DeMar DeRozan scored 16 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Lou Williams finished with 12 points and Terrence Ross added 10 points for Toronto (33-16).
Khris Middleton had 25 points to lead the Bucks (26-22) in their first win over Toronto in seven matchups.
The Raptors arrived home for the first of five straight games at the Air Canada Centre on a high, their six-game winning streak ending a woeful stretch of eight losses in 11 games.
But they trailed by as much as 18 points against a Bucks team that was already missing guard Brandon Knight (sore quadriceps), then lost O.J. Mayo -- he picked up double technicals and was ejected with 4:08 to go in the first half -- leaving the Bucks with eight available players.
"That was a stinker," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "We didn't have any energy for whatever reason. Travel, it doesn't matter. We came out, wasn't into it.
"Energy, focus whatever it is, we didn't bring it tonight and that's one that we all are responsible."
The Raptors went into the fourth down 73-60, and with four of five starters on the bench -- Greivis Vasquez was the only starter to play significant minutes in the fourth quarter -- finally showed some life, much to the relief of a capacity crowd of 19,800 fans at the Air Canada Centre that included Orlando Franklin of the Denver Broncos.
"The second unit came in and got 13 straight stops and that's all we were doing, looking to play hard and I thought the second unit did," Casey said.
Toronto sprinted out on a 15-2 run, and tied the game at 75-75 on a Tyler Hansbrough tip-in with 3:45 left on the clock. The Bucks missed 15 straight shots before Jared Dudley's jumper with 2:07 to go put the Bucks up by four.
Former Raptor Jerryd Bayless drained a three, pumping his fist in celebration, to put the visitors up by seven with 29 seconds to go, virtually sealing Toronto's fate.
The Raptors were outshot 41 per cent to 32 per cent and coughed up 19 points on 16 turnovers. Williams went 1-for-12, Vasquez was 3-for-11, and Ross was 4-for-12.
"It was all us," said DeRozan. "We missed a lot of easy shots. A lot of easy shots that we normally make -- Lou, myself and Kyle. It was like that all down the line."
The Raptors were looking to win seven straight for the first time since their franchise-best nine wins in a row in the spring of 2002.
Playing their fifth game in seven nights, and coming off back-to-back overtime wins at Brooklyn and Washington, the Raptors came out flat, shooting just 25 per cent in the first quarter to trail 23-14.
DeRozan's 10 points in the second helped the Raptors to pull to within two points late in the second, and they trailed 47-41 at halftime.
The Bucks had all the momentum in the third, and a Middleton three-pointer with two minutes to go in the quarter put Milwaukee up by 18.
The Raptors had won the previous six meetings with the Bucks, including two this season.
They host Brooklyn on Wednesday.
