It was happening again. Up 26 points in the second quarter, the Bucks' lead over the Raptors had melted down to just four points with five minutes to play. This was the time for an MVP to step up, and Giannis Antetokounmpo did just that.

First, he drained a 3-pointer in Serge Ibaka's face to push the Bucks' lead back up to seven. Then, a few minutes later, he raced down the floor and after Eric Bledsoe missed a layup on the fastbreak, somehow came up with the rebound in between two Raptors, and slammed it home with authority to seal the win. 

Thirty-six points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and a steal for good measure was Giannis' final line, as the Bucks secured the 115-105 win on Saturday night to improve to 4-2 on the season.

"He was so big," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "It felt like the 3 he hit was just a monster 3, too. Finishing in the paint, getting an offensive rebound and dunking it, seeing plays all the way through, making the huge 3, he was really special tonight."

That wasn't much of a surprise. Not only because performances like this have become commonplace for Giannis, but because he and the team had extra motivation after losing to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals last season. 

"Oh yeah, definitely. I had a lot of motivation," Giannis said." Obviously a different team, Kawhi [Leonard] isn't on the team, but other guys have stepped up. Kyle Lowry -- man, 14 years in the league -- he's still playing amazing. [Pascal] Siakam steps up a lot for this team, [OG] Anunoby, all those guys. But yeah, the team that cost us the trip to the NBA FInals, obviously you gonna come out and play a little bit harder, gonna have a little extra juice in you, and I think that's what the team did tonight. When I woke up from my nap, that's what I was thinking."

It's a little early in the season to be talking about statement wins, and this wasn't exactly that considering the Bucks nearly blew the game. But it was an important win. 

They beat the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season (which is helpful from a psychological standpoint), improved their record to 4-2 and now have their first winning streak of the season going. It wasn't a surprise the postgame locker room was a jovial scene, with players joking around and talking excitedly.

But for all the good vibes the Bucks was putting out after the win, this team still has plenty of work to do, and some pressing issues to solve. The biggest of which was on full display in this contest as they blew yet another big lead, thanks to porous defense in the third quarter. 

In their six games this season, the Bucks have led by at least 19 points in five of them. They've lost two of those games -- to the Heat and Celtics -- and were close to falling apart in two more. Against the Cavaliers, their lead was trimmed to five in the fourth quarter, and on Saturday night, the Raptors had it down to four. Their 32-point win against the Magic was the only time their big lead hasn't been in serious danger. 

After winning 45 games by double-digits last season, the Bucks have struggled to put teams away in the first few weeks of this campaign. The problem is a "lackadaisical" approach, according to second-year wing Donte DiVincenzo. 

"Once we get a lead we gotta keep our foot on the pedal," DiVincenzo said. "When we do that -- and you've seen we've been down big and come back, so we just gotta do that for a full 48. When we get those big leads and they start to make a run, we just gotta lock in. Get good shots on the offensive end and lock in defensively."

While cold 3-point shooting has been a factor in a number of the collapses so far, it's the latter that's been the bigger issue for the Bucks. The No. 1 defense in the league last season, the Bucks are 12th so far this time around. Shots will fall, and with Giannis leading their attack, they'll still score without too much trouble. But if they aren't getting stops on the other end, it doesn't matter.

In the third quarter they allowed the Raptors -- led by some dynamite play from Lowry -- to pour in 40 points, after giving up just 50 in the first two quarters combined. Even though the Bucks scored 29 themselves in the third, the Raptors were right back in the game. 

After the win, Budenholzer noted that 40-point third quarter four different times in the span of one answer.

"Forty points, you give up 40," Budenholzer said. "So it's 'How can we be better defensively?' Sometimes you just need to keep the faith, keep your poise, keep your direction. Teams are gonna go on runs, you gotta be able to sustain that. But it would be great if we could find a way to get some stops. If you don't give up 40 -- we got 29 -- it's just the 40 that stands out to me, stands out in the timeouts."

To their credit, the Bucks responded in the fourth by allowing just 15 points, which was a big factor in securing the win, as were some incredible plays by Giannis. But as great as it is to have an MVP to rely on, the Bucks can't get in the habit of putting themselves in this position. 

They need to figure out how to lock in for a full 48 minutes on a consistent basis, or they're going to have a much tougher time winning the East this season.