Raptors at Bucks
The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks rallied to win the series opener and shoot to make it two straight wins over the visiting Toronto Raptors in Friday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. The second-seeded Raptors led by seven after three quarters in Game 1 before being outscored 32-17 over the final 12 minutes as the Bucks recovered for a 108-100 home victory.
Milwaukee scored the final 10 points of Wednesday's contest and ramped up its defense down the stretch by preventing Toronto from making any of its last eight field-goal attempts. "I think it speaks a little bit to the character of the group," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "They just stick with it. I think it's become a little bit of a theme in the playoffs: I think eventually, hopefully, we feel like if we stick with what we're doing good things will happen for us." Raptors star Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points but only two came in the final stanza -- both on free throws -- as he struggled through a 10-of-26 shooting performance. "He was playing at a very high level," Toronto shooting guard Danny Green told reporters. "He's still playing at a high level, but to score the way he was scoring and that efficiency, if he did that for the rest of his career, he'd be known as probably the greatest of all-time. That's hard to do. So naturally the numbers are going to balance out. But he's still shooting some pretty good percentages."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT, TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: Point guard Kyle Lowry averaged 12.4 points and shot 41.5 percent from the field in Toronto's first two series but he had his best game of the postseason with 30 points and seven 3-pointers, the latter a playoff career high, in Game 1. "Just whatever it takes to win the game," Lowry told reporters after going 7-of-9 from long range. "Individual stuff doesn't do anything for me. I want to win games. Maybe we've got to figure out what we can do better to win the game and close it out and play better." Getting Green untracked is another goal as the 31-year-old is averaging just 5.3 points on 4-of-16 over the past three games.
ABOUT THE BUCKS: Center Brook Lopez was superb with 29 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in Game 1 after averaging just 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in the five-game conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Lopez scored 13 of his career playoff-high output in the fourth quarter and he got back to playing a key role for Milwaukee. "I think we did a great job of just sticking with what we've been doing all postseason long," Lopez told reporters. "Shots didn't go in early, but we did a great job of grinding it out, played great defense and just stuck with it. Then things started going our way."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bucks star PF Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds in the opener for his sixth double-double of the postseason.
2. Toronto PF Pascal Siakam was 6-of-20 shooting in Game 1 and is just 27-of-76 over the past five contests.
3. Milwaukee G Malcolm Brogdon tallied 15 points off the bench and is averaging 12.5 points in two games since returning from a foot injury.