NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 4 and the resilient effort of Kawhi Leornard

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The Toronto Raptors have defended their home court and evened the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2. After an ugly Game 3 win, they came out and delivered one of their best performances of the postseason in Game 4, taking down the Milwaukee Bucks, 120-102.

Giannis Antetokounmpo got off to a great start after his terrible night in Game 3, scoring 11 points in the first quarter alone. But Kyle Lowry was just as hot early on, and was key in helping the Raptors withstand the Bucks’ initial burst. In the second quarter, the Raptors put Kawhi Leonard on Giannis which slowed down the Greek Freak, and on the other end they started carving up the Bucks’ defense. They controlled the frame and opened up a double-digit lead at the break.

The second half followed in similar fashion, save for a brief surge by the Bucks in the third quarter to cut the deficit down to six points. Kawhi Leonard and Co. were ready with a response, though, and soon regained control of the game. They took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter, and were never challenged. A banked-in 3-pointer from Fred VanVleet that turned into a four-point play after Giannis fouled Serge Ibaka while battling for the rebound put the Raptors up by 18 and effectively ended the game.

Leonard put together a gutsy performance while still battling some sort of leg injury, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while playing excellent defense. Lowry had a strong game as well, going for 25 points, five rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, Ibaka, VanVleet and Norman Powell combined for 48 points off the bench. For the Bucks, Khris Middleton led the way with 30 points.

The Toronto Raptors look to take home court advantage in Game 5 on Thursday.

NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 3 and the thrilling double overtime finish!

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While it’s true that the Raptors received some nice performances from their supporting cast, it was Kawhi Leonard — and nobody else — that willed them to this Game 3 victory. He scored 36 points — eight in the second overtime alone — and led Toronto to its first victory in this series despite the fact that both Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell fouled out during regulation.

Powell contributed with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field before he exited the game with 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. And as inconsistent as Lowry has been throughout the playoffs, he finished with a game-leading +15 plus/minus rating.

Leonard was there to take all of the big shots in the closing minutes of the fourth and both periods of overtime — like a lead man is supposed to do.

Missed shots, turnovers and fouls were the key story through most of the game, as neither team played particularly well. The Raptors played a bit better, though, and built up a double-digit lead that they carried into the early part of the third quarter. But Toronto never seemed in full control of the action, and because they couldn’t pull away, Milwaukee started to work its way back into the game.

Leonard was immense for the Raptors, scoring 36 points and playing 52 out of 58 minutes. The Toronto Raptors concluded with a 118-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in double overtime. The series now stands 2-1 in favor of Milwaukee.

NBA Playoffs: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors Game 1 and the emergence of Brook Lopez

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Whenever you think of the Bucks winning a game, you assume that it’s Giannis Antetokounmpo who leads them to victory. Except that was not the case in Milwaukee’s 108-100 win in Game 1 of the conference finals.

The true MVP of this game was none other than Brook Lopez, the former NBA All-Star center who had supposedly peaked years ago with the Brooklyn Nets.

After the first half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Toronto Raptors held a 59-51 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks and were looking sharp. Things changed quite a bit after the break as the Bucks overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat the Raptors 108-100 and take a 1-0 series lead.

The Bucks trailed for the majority of the game but they turned on a switch with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. They rode their dominance on the offensive glass — 15 to the Raptors’ eight — and a career-high playoff performance by Brook Lopez (29 points and 11 rebounds) to win their first conference finals game since June 1, 2001.

The Raptors received a 30-point performance from Kyle Lowry on 10-of-15 from the field, but the rest of the team struggled from the field as Toronto converted on just 37.0 percent of their shots. Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points, but did so on just 10-of-26 shooting from the field.

Game 2 will be on Friday, May 17, and 8:30 PM as the Toronto Raptors look to even the series at one game apiece.