Alijah Martin had played 30 NBA games and never scored more than nine points in any of them. Then came Friday night in Milwaukee. The second-year guard came off the bench, poured in 27, and carried a depleted Raptors team to a 121-107 NBA Cup win over the Bucks. Martin’s career-high came on 9-of-11 shooting and 6-of-7 from three.
Raptors Guard Career-High Sinks Bucks in NBA Cup
Here’s the line that tells the story. Martin walked in having made just six of 27 threes in his entire NBA career. He made six in one night. His whole career total, gone in a single game. Before Friday he had scored 23 points across seven games this season, combined.
Toronto took him 39th overall in the 2025 draft, months after he helped Florida win a national championship. He opened Summer League last July with 16 points in his debut. The talent was never really in question. A night like this just needed a chance.
Toronto Climbs Out of a 15-Point Hole
The Raptors were without Kawhi Leonard (knee), Scottie Barnes (groin) and starting guard Immanuel Quickley (hamstring). Leonard has now missed seven straight games. Toronto trailed by as many as 15 and was down nine at halftime.
Then the second half happened. The Raptors outscored Milwaukee 70-47 after the break. Martin’s three-pointer gave Toronto its first lead, 71-69, midway through the third quarter. Tyler Herro answered 22 seconds later, and Milwaukee pushed back to 79-73. Toronto then ripped off nine straight points, and Allen Graves’ three-point play with 2:17 left in the quarter put the Raptors in front for good.
Barrett, Shead and the Supporting Cast Fill Every Gap
Martin had plenty of company. RJ Barrett matched him with 27 points, most of it in a big second half. Jamal Shead set a career-high with 16 assists and added 10 points, and Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Boyles scored 19 apiece.
When three of your best players are in street clothes, you need everyone else to show up for work. Toronto got that and then some.
Bucks Slide to 1-8 as Toronto Climbs to 5-4
Milwaukee’s problems keep piling up. The Bucks are 1-8, their slowest start since 1993-94, when they lost 10 of their first 11 games and finished 20-62. Herro had 23 points and 10 assists, and rookie Brayden Burries set career highs with 21 points and 11 rebounds. It still wasn’t enough.
The win lifts Toronto to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in NBA Cup group play, while Milwaukee is 0-1.
It doesn’t fix the injury list, and nobody shoots 6-of-7 from three forever. But a Raptors guard career-high like this shows the bench can still deliver when the opportunity arrives.
Raptors Guard Career-High: Six Threes Equal His Whole NBA Career