Toronto completed a 4-2 series victory over the Bucks in the opening round of the play-offs after winning 92-89 at BMO Harris Bradley Center, but it was far less comfortable than it should have been. Drake wrote on Instagram that his "neighbor", Malone, stopped by to watch Game 6 of the matchup between the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Greek Freak played all but two minutes of the game to get to 34 and while they didn't get a series this year, it's not a stretch to imagine them getting through at least one or two a year from now.
The crowd on the road was rowdy. Middleton leads in assists with 5.4 per game. It took everything they had to put the Grizzlies away in Game 6, including a vintage performance from Tony Parker.
But Toronto rallied again at just the right time to claim a victory that sends them through to a clash with reigning champions Cleveland.
Toronto moves on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series that starts Monday.
"Both teams played their heart out there in that second half", said Bucks coach Jason Kidd. Toronto also needs to work on finishing off opponents. Midway through the third, they were down by 25.
The fan base in Milwaukee had its attention very much divided Thursday night, between the Bucks and what their beloved Green Bay Packers would do in the ongoing NFL Draft.
A 9-of-18 showing from the foul line in the fourth quarter hurt, too. "That's what we need to do". "So, for us, it's just staying in character". Middleton added 19 markers. "The more physical, aggressive team has won each and every single game in this series". That's an encouraging sign, but I'm curious whether that was due to improved play or Toronto just not caring as much due to their engorged lead. Since the Raptors made a decision to go small, maybe the Bucks could move Matthew Dellavedova to the starting lineup, remove Thon Maker from the starting lineup, and shift Antetokounmpo to center. He still wound up making enough plays to score 16 points in the first half and 24 in the first three quarters. If the Raptors want to sneak by the Cavaliers in Round 2, Toronto will need way more from Lowry because he didn't look like himself against the Bucks.
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The series victor will advance to play the second-seeded Cavaliers, who finished off a sweep of No. 7 IN on Sunday. The Bucks hacked furiously at the lead, largely by turning the Raps over, then capitalizing. Even Antetokounmpo, a renowned gym rat, looked exhausted, catching his breath during fourth-quarter breaks. "Especially my teammates tonight, they fought all game long". "This is just the start of the journey for this young group, and understanding it is not always easy to win, and can you handle it when things don't go well?"
Then the Raptors lost focus.
The Raptors flipped a switch following their brutal loss in Game 3 and have looked like the team most bettors expected heading into the postseason. "But you live and you learn". But for us, it's one through 15, we're all the same.
The Bucks consider themselves a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference, a belief no doubt reinforced by a furious 14-4 run late in the season that propelled them to sixth place in the East and solidified by a strong, though inconsistent, effort against Toronto in the playoffs.
"Winning in Cleveland is hard".
"Hopefully we focus more on how we got the lead", Patterson said.
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