The Milwaukee Bucks came up one possession short of forcing overtime in a thrilling game six contest.
Down 71-46 with just over five minutes remaining in the third, this looked like a repeat of two seasons ago when the Chicago Bulls routed the Bucks 120-66 in the game six clincher.
This time around was different, the Bucks completely erased this 25-point deficit to take a two point lead with three minutes left in the game.
Despite this epic comeback, the Raptors went on an 11-2 run from there and hung on to win the game 92-89.
Missed free throws down the stretch turned out to be Milwaukee’s demise, shooting just 18/28 from the charity stripe on the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played a season high 47 minutes in the loss. Interestingly enough, the Bucks were a -3 for the 1:21 he sat on the bench. The Greek Freak finished with 34 points (13/23 FG, 1/2 3Pt, 7/13 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Khris Middleton added 19 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in the second heaviest minutes load of 42.
Despite playing only 13 minutes, Thon Maker made his presence felt with two points, two rebounds, two assists, and five blocks.
Matthew Dellavedova and Jason Terry were key factors in erasing Toronto’s 25-point lead. The two combined for 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. The veterans harassed Toronto’s cornerstones in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan all night long, and never gave up because they knew what it took to make this almost improbable comeback.
DeMar DeRozan finished with a team-high 32 points along with four rebounds, three assists and five steals. Kyle Lowry was held to just 13 points along with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Had it not been for the defensive presence of DeRozan, Lowry and Serge Ibaka, Milwaukee had an easy shot at a double digit victory.
The Toronto Raptors won the series 4-2 and will move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals beginning Monday in Cleveland.
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