While some might be shocked by how Chicago has played as a No. 8 seed that was just 41-41, Butler made it clear he's not one of those folks.
Dwyane Wade had 22 points, including 16 in the second half, and Robin Lopez added 18 points and eight points. "He's a self-starter", Casey said after tip-off on Tuesday. "That's where your confidence always comes from". The Raptors promptly ended the game on a 6-0 run, setting up a crucial showdown in Game 3.
After a better start by the Celtics, a familiar theme started to take hold as the Bulls took control by again dominating on the offensive glass.
Boston got within 91-82 early in the fourth before Chicago went on a 14-4 run to push its lead up to 19. They passed better and defended better. "It wasn't moving at all", Celtics guard Avery Bradley said.
"The play was for DeMar to get a bucket", Lowry said. "It doesn't mean he's going to make every shot he takes but I think he'll play better and I think we'll play better as a team".
TORONTO - Kyle Lowry scored 22 points, including the clinching basket with less than 10 seconds to play, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks, evening their first-round playoff series at 1-1.
Cubs Receive Championship Rings in Wrigley Field Ceremony
The team received their championship rings Wednesday night, which they promptly started showing off on social media. Los Angeles put in their closer Kenley Jansen in hopes of ending the game but it did not end in the Dodgers' favor.
With 15 seconds left on the clock and the Raptors up 102-100, Lowry sunk this midrange jumper after a slick step-back to give the Rockets a four-point lead and eventually the game. Having split the first two road games of the series, three of the final five games of the series will be played in Milwaukee, giving the Bucks the advantage. But even on an off-shooting night, Antetokounmpo put up 24 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists and nearly authored a fourth quarter comeback for the Bucks. Milwaukee's length and size in the paint continued to bother the Raptors. He had 28 points in Game 1 Saturday. Isaiah Thomas (20/4/2) played 42 minutes, but was limited by Chicago's defense, going 6-for-15 shooting, including 1-for-5 from three.
Middleton hit a turnaround, fade-away jumper to cut the lead to two points with 3:24 to play in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five Conference Quarterfinals games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
Antetokounmpo said the Raptors made things much tougher in Game 2 for him than they had in Game 1.
DeRozan made a pull-up jumper to give Toronto a two-point lead with 1:43 left. Dellavedova had seven points.
For the second game in a row, Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 24 points with eight points in the first half and eight in each of the third and fourth quarters. DeRozan had 12 points in the quarter while Middleton scored nine for Milwaukee. Toronto led 55-52 at the break. It takes four wins to take the series, and right now both teams need three more to accomplish that goal. I still have the Raptors winning this series in six or seven games but I think the Bucks will reclaim the lead with a narrow win in front of a packed house in Game 3.
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