Toronto Raptors beat Milwaukee Bucks to claim Eastern Conference and reach first NBA final
- Kawhi Leonard notches 27 points and 17 rebounds in narrow win
Kawhi Leonard finished with 27 points and a career high 17 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors advanced to their first NBA final with a 100-94 win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
The Raptors won the series in six games as Saturday’s contest at Scotiabank Arena was a mirror image of game five, featuring a strong start by Milwaukee before Toronto came back in the fourth quarter to close it out with several clutch plays down the stretch.
The Raptors reached their first finals in their 24-year history where they will face the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. Game one of the best-of-seven final is on Thursday in Toronto.
“I just took it one possession at a time,” Leonard said. “We kept fighting all game. The calls were not going our way, but we kept striving and striving.”
Leonard won the head-to-head battle against Giannis Antetokounmpo, even dunking over the mighty “Greek Freak” with six minutes left in the fourth to give Toronto a 87-79 lead.
Leonard also hit another dynamic three-pointer from his favourite corner spot on the floor with three minutes left to make it 95-90.