Milwaukee (USA), .- The forward Kawhi Leonard returned to be the big star by scoring 35 points and reserve base Fred VanVleet contributed 21 points as a surprise factor that allowed The Toronto Raptors beat home winners 99-105 at the Milwakee Bucks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, which dominate 2-3 to best of seven.
The sixth game will be played next Saturday in Toronto and a win by the Raptors will put them for the first time in the NBA Finals.
The Raptors traced a disadvantage of 14 points that were down in the first part to go from less to more and get a great victory.
“Tonight we have achieved a super-worked and very important victory,” said the Raptors coach. “Nick Nurse.” Now we must fight more than ever in the sixth game. “
Leonard, who scored 11 of 25 field goals, including 5 of 8 triples, and 8 of 9 from the personnel line, also delivered nine assists, grabbed seven rebounds and retrieved a ball.
The star forward of the Raptors finished the fourth consecutive game that had 30 or more points.
“The key to the game was in the way we reacted at the beginning of the game when the Bucks dominated us and we knew how to find the way to make our best basketball,” said Leonard.
While VanVleet came up with his best game as a professional in the playoffs and became the winning surprise factor by getting 7 of 9 triples, he completely broke the Bucks’ defense.
Base Kyle Lowry scored 17 points, which left him as the Raptors’ third highest scorer, seven rebounds and six assists.
While Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam became the key player in the area by providing a double-double of 14 points, including the last mate that sentenced the victory, captured 13 rebounds -10 defensive, gave two assists, He recovered a ball and put three plugs.
The reserve power forward, the Spanish Congolese Serge Ibaka had six points and six rebounds in the 19 minutes he played.
Ibaka scored 1 of 4 field goals, and 4 of 4 from the personnel line.
The Spanish power forward, Marc Gasol, did not have his best inspiracion encestadora, but he did an excellent defensive work in the marking to the wing-power forward of the Bucks, the Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, who in the end could not be a winning factor with the Milwaukee team .
Gassol played 29 minutes in which he scored 1 of 6 field goals, including a triple of four attempts, and 1 of 2 from the personnel line.
The player of Sant Boi captured six rebounds – four defensive -, put a stopper, lost a ball and committed three personal fouls.
But Gasol scored the two decisive personnel shots (97-100) with 35 seconds left after the referees reviewed a play that was thought to have been a violation of the Raptors’ possession time for a personal foul that the Cuban center American Brook Lopez made him the Spanish international.
As a team, the Raptors had 37 (31-84) percent of hits in field goals, 42 (18-43) of triples and 81 (25-31) from the line of personnel.
The Raptors captured 45 rebounds and had excellent control of the ball to lose only six times by 11 of the Bucks, who dominated the game in the paint, got 53 rebounds, but never achieved the decisive goals.
The Bucks, who dominated in the first quarter with a partial 32-22, came from more to less and failed again in the final stretch of the game and suffered the third consecutive loss for the first time so far this season.
Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points as leader of a list of five players who had double-digit numbers, but had no presence in the indoor game to capture six rebounds.
Base Eric Bledsoe reached 20 points, but only two assists, while guard Malcolm Brogdon finished as the Bucks’ most complete player by providing a double-double of 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in his return to the ownership
The Cuban Cuban center Brook Lopez got 16 points, eight rebounds and a recovery of the ball.
The great frustration of the Bucks in the last six games has been the little contribution they have received from Spanish power forward Nikola Mirotic, who finished with zero points in the nine minutes he played after failing the four field goals he did, including three tries of triples, and captured two defensive rebounds.
Another player who could not be a winning factor in the Bucks’ attack and needed it was forward Khris Middleton, who finished with six points after scoring 2 of 9 field goals, missed the two triple attempts, and grabbed 10 rebounds, including eight defensive rebounds.
“”The series is about being the first to get four wins.” stated Mike Budenholzer, coach of the Bucks. at the end of the game. “We will have to go to Toronto and get the victory and I am convinced that the team will arrive prepared to achieve it.” (EFE)
