TORONTO -- Kyle Lowry was held to four points in the Toronto Raptors' Game 1 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey knew that his All-Star point guard would be out to make amends Tuesday night in Game 2.

"It's just his competitive edge," Casey said. "I've seen him in the trenches before, and he's always bounced back. It's just who he is, he's a fighter, a competitor, and I knew he wasn't going to satisfied with the way he played in the first game."

Lowry proved his coach right. He responded with 22 points and scored the clinching basket, a 20-foot step-back jumper with 8.9 seconds to play, to increase the lead to four as the Raptors defeated the Bucks 106-100.

Toronto evened the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at one game each.

"Just play, go out there and make my shots, being aggressive," Lowry said. "My teammates challenged, like I said before. I got to the free-throw line nine times (and made eight). I got aggressive early, and then in the second half, DeMar got himself going."

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 23 points and hit the go-ahead jump shot, an 18-footer, with 1:43 to play after the Bucks tied the game.

Serge Ibaka added 16 points for Toronto, Cory Joseph had 11 and Jonas Valanciunas contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"I thought we did a better job of moving the basketball," Casey said. "They are a long team, we had to do a better job of spacing, creating space with screens, zip passes, you can't just throw as my college coach used to say, 'dying quail passes' And I thought we did a better job with on-time, on-target passes."

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Khris Middleton added 20 points, Greg Monroe had 18, and Tony Snell scored 14.

"I think we definitely gained some things out of these two games," Antetokounmpo said. "I think we got the rotation. We did what we were supposed to, we played hard. They had some leads, we came back. We had a chance to take the lead and the ball didn't go in. We did the right things, we had the right plays."

"He's a heck of a player," DeRozan said of Antetokounmpo. "You've got to give it to him. The things he's able to do on the court, getting other guys involved rebounding, able to score, it's tough. We try to limit other guys from doing things but it's tough once he gets it going."

The Raptors took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter before reeling off 11 straight points to go up by 12. The Raptors led by one point with 2:46 to play after Antetokounmpo made a layup.

Ibaka hit a jumper to put Toronto up by three, and Antetokounmpo made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100 with two minutes to play.

"I think the guys fought," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "It would have been easy to let go of the rope. We got down, but they kept playing and we had an opportunity there, we got some great looks, the ball goes halfway down and then comes out, that's basketball."

Toronto led 28-25 after one quarter and 55-52 after the first half. The Raptors did a better job of getting back on defense.

"They had everybody back," Kidd said. "It helps when you make shots. They made shots, they slowed us down and made us play in the half court."

A 3-pointer by DeMarre Carroll and a layup by Lowry gave Toronto a 13-point lead in the third quarter.

"That's the way they play, they kind of make you get in there and they all come to the ball," Lowry said. "You've got to kick out, you've got to make shots against those guys, their length is their strength."

Middleton hit a turnaround, fade-away jumper to cut the lead to two points with 3:24 to play in the quarter. The Raptors led 84-83 after the third quarter.

Ibaka made two 3-pointers as Toronto scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to open the 12-point lead. A dunk by Thon Maker trimmed the lead to five with six minutes to play. Antetokounmpo's layup and free throw cut the lead to three with 4:32 to play.

"Our energy and effort, we have to be the desperate team," Kidd said. "And tonight, Toronto was the desperate team."

NOTES: The Raptors have lost nine straight opening games of a first-round playoff series. They are the first NBA team since the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings 1981-2001 to lose nine consecutive series-opening games. ... Saturday's win was the Bucks' first Game 1 victory on the road since 1983 and their first Game 1 victory since 2001. ... Toronto F Serge Ibaka was able to start Tuesday after missing practice Monday after suffering a sprained ankle in Game 1. ... Milwaukee F Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the regular season ranked in the top 20 in the NBA in total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. No other NBA player has done that for an entire season. ... Game 3 will be played Thursday in Milwaukee.