NBA GAME 6

Resilient Raptors rally past Bucks to reach 1st NBA Finals in franchise history

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Toronto closes out series with comeback win on home court

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard hoists the trophy after the Raptors won the Eastern Conference Final in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks in Toronto on Saturday. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

The Toronto Raptors are headed to the NBA Finals, a Canadian basketball success story 24 years in the making.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 27 points and hauled down a game-high 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors to a thrilling 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that clinched the Eastern Conference finals series 4-2.

Kyle Lowry, playing through the relentless pain of a sprained thumb, had 17 points and eight assists, and grabbed the game ball after the final buzzer sounded on a spectacular comeback.

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The Raptors became just the sixth team in NBA history to win a conference final after losing the first two games.

"Beating this [Bucks] team four times in a row is almost mind boggling," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

Pascal Siakam chipped in with 18 points, while Fred VanVleet finished with 14.

WATCH | Raptors defeat Bucks in Game 6 to reach NBA Finals:

Show more Kawhi Leonard was magical in Game 6, finishing with 27 points and 17 boards as the Raptors beat the Bucks 100-94 to reach the NBA Finals for the 1st time in franchise history. 2:56

The road doesn't get any easier for Toronto. The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors await after dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in four games in the west final almost a week ago. The Finals tip off in Toronto on Thursday.

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But the Raptors paused for a moment to soak it all in Saturday.

Asked what it means to finally break through after seven seasons of playoff frustration, Lowry say "it means a lot."

"It's taken a long time to get here in my career, 13 years, seven years here," he said, his baseball cap reading "NBA Finals" pulled down over his forehead. "I'm going to savour the moment, but I'm not satisfied. Our goal is to win the NBA championship."

Giannis Antetokounmpo, favoured to win the league MVP after leading the Bucks to a league-best 60-win season — two better than Toronto — had 21 points and 11 boards, while Brook Lopez had 18.

The Raptors got off to a shaky start reminiscent of Game 5, giving up a 17-2 Bucks run that straddled the first and second quarters to trail by 15 points early in the first half.

Toronto closed the third quarter with a 10-0 run capped by three Leonard free throws that sliced the Bucks' advantage to 76-71 with one quarter left to play.

"We all felt like we were still in the game," Leonard said. "We had a little bit of momentum left. We just talked amongst each other once again and said 'Let's go out here and enjoy it, and we can play better offence and defence. We ended up doing that, and we ended up winning the game."

WATCH | Kawhi Leonard discusses his journey with Raptors:

Show more After advancing to the NBA finals, Leonard touched on the importance of the Raptors system and how Kyle Lowry helped push him forward. 0:51

The Raptors continued to ride a massive wave of momentum — a 26-3 run punctuated by a massive Leonard dunk from a steal and hand-off from Lowry with 6:46 to play that prompted a roar from the crowd that rocked Scotiabank Arena. The fans didn't sit down again until the game's final buzzer blew.

"We were on a run, and the building exploded after that dunk," said Leonard, the gleaming Eastern Conference trophy sitting between him and Lowry in the post-game press conference. "Kind of got us a little bit more adrenalin to get another stop. I've been playing with [Lowry] for awhile now, and it's just chemistry right there."

The Bucks pulled to within a point with just over five minutes to play, but three-pointers by Marc Gasol and Leonard — Leonard's bouncing up off the rim before falling, in similar fashion to his conference semifinal Game 7 buzzer-beater against Philadelphia — had Toronto up by five with 3:04 to play.

Leonard, who missed all but nine games last season with San Antonio because of a serious quadriceps injury, was breathing heavily, hands on knees, after missing a dunk that Siakam tipped in with 2:06 to play.

A pair of free throws from Lopez made it a three-point game with 29.6 seconds to play, then Siakam was fouled with seven seconds left. The Cameroon big man sank one. Then Leonard was fouled with 3.9 seconds left, and with the crowd chanting "M-V-P!" Toronto's superstar sank both. Game over. Lowry could barely contain his emotions as the final seconds ticked down.

Masai Ujiri, who acquired Leonard in the off-season for much-loved DeMar DeRozan with a lofty goal of an NBA championship in mind, addressed the delirious, confetti-covered crowd after the game, saying "We came all this way to win in Toronto. And we will win in Toronto!"

The Raptors president called Leonard the league's best player.

"I don't care about being the best player, I want to be the best team," Leonard said in response. "Just before the season when we made the trade Masai felt that way about me. He told me how he felt. It's turning out well now. We're in the Finals and we're not done yet."

The Raptors were making just their second Eastern Conference finals appearance in franchise history, and first since they stole two games off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers before being ousted in six games in 2016.

Ujiri's rebuild included firing coach Dwane Casey and promoting Nurse, then swapping Jonas Valanciunas for Gasol at February's trade deadline.

If fans complained then, they aren't now.

"We've got great fans," Lowry said. "They support us through the good times and the bad times. Right now is a great time, and we're glad that they're our fans." </s> Kyle Lowry stole the ball and pushed it ahead, then waited for Kawhi Leonard to arrive before feeding his All-Star teammate for a thunderous one-handed slam over Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"The building exploded after that dunk," Leonard said.

It sure did. Now imagine how it will sound when the NBA Finals come to Toronto for the first time next week.

Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors into the finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. His big dunk with 6:46 to go in the fourth quarter was the final basket in a game-changing 26-3 run that began late in the third.

"It was kind of a momentum capper," Lowry said. "We were on a run, and why not feed the big dog? Let the big dog eat."

The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

It will be the two-time defending champions against a Raptors team that will finally bring the NBA Finals outside the U.S. after entering the league in 1995.

"They're one of the greatest teams in history," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the Warriors. "It will be a tall task, but we'll try to figure it out."

Pascal Siakam scored 18 points, Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors.

Lowry held the game ball and picked up his children after the game, finally getting to the championship round after the Raptors kept falling short against Cleveland.

"It's taken a long time to get here in my career," Lowry said. "I've run into one guy for a while."

Toronto was eliminated by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in three straight postseasons before shaking things up last summer with the acquisition of Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP who was acquired from San Antonio and has carried the Raptors in this postseason.

"He's the best player in the league and we're happy he's in Toronto," Raptors President Masai Ujiri said.

Asked about Ujiri's compliment, Leonard said he's focused on different goals.

"I just want to win," he said. "I don't care about being the best player. I want to be the best team."

Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, but the NBA's top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.

"Man, obviously when you're up 2-0, that doesn't mean nothing," Antetokounmpo said. "You've got to learn how to come out and close out games, especially after Game 3. We've got to get better as a team, and we've got to get better individually."

Even Nurse found his team's turnaround hard to believe.

"Beating this team four times in a row is almost mind boggling," Nurse said.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said it hurt to see a great season end.

"The roster that was put together for this season, as the season started going, you started feeling like it was special and could do special things, including advancing past tonight, but it didn't happen," Budenholzer said.

Down 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Serge Ibaka's dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.

Antetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn't matter to Toronto, with Siakam's basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.

Toronto made 12 of 27 3-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.

Siakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto's double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.

Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from 3-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.

The Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a 3 by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a 3 by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a 3 and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.

The lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.

Bucks: Milwaukee shot 4 for 16 in the second but three of its made baskets were 3-pointers. ... The Bucks had six points in the paint in the first half. They finished with 28. ... Budenholzer was called for a technical foul on Milwaukee's first possession of the second half. Leonard missed the free throw. ... Antetokounmpo shot 5 for 10 at the free throw line.

Raptors: Danny Green, who missed all three of his field goal attempts in 16 minutes in Game 5, had another rough night. Green shot 0 for 4 in 14 minutes. ... Leonard's 17 rebounds were his most in any game this postseason. ... Lowry had eight assists.

Raptors fan and 'global ambassador' Drake sat in his regular seat adjacent to the Toronto bench. The rapper wore a black hoodie with 'KAWHI ME A RIVER' printed on the back.

Outside the downtown arena, fans flooded streets, bringing traffic to a standstill. One video posted on social media showed a group of fans partying on the roof of a Toronto city bus. Fans surrounded Marc Gasol's car as he was driven out of the arena , and the center rolled down his window to trade high fives with the crowd.

Toronto' reserve Norman Powell scored nine points on his 26th birthday. Standing at the back of the room, Powell's mother wished him a happy birthday at the end of her son's press conference.

The last team to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win a conference finals was Oklahoma City, which beat San Antonio in six games in 2012 after losing the first two on the road. Ibaka played for that Thunder team, while Leonard was a Spurs rookie.

The NBA Finals comes to Canada for the first time when the Raptors host the Warriors on Thursday night. Toronto swept Golden State in the regular season. </s> The Toronto Raptors have a chance to make history.

They host the Milwaukee Bucks at Scotiabank Arena for Game 6, one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

The Bucks will look to steal this one to force a Game 7 back in Milwaukee to keep their season alive.

For live updates, highlights and more from Game 6, we have you covered below.

The Bucks came out firing from long range and it's paid off - Milwaukee is 6-for-9 (66.7%) from beyond the arc to give them a 13-point lead after one frame. The Raptors are missing open shots on the offensive end, shooting 31.6% from the field and 20.0% from 3-point land. Something also worth noting: the Bucks outscored the Raptors 10-2 in the minutes that Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the floor and Kawhi Leonard was on the bench.

The Bucks went on an 11-0 run to build a lead but the Raptors cut into that lead quickly. Milwaukee leads 21-16 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Bucks switched to a zone defence that stifled the Raptors on a handful of possessions but Toronto has done a better job of finding the soft spots and getting open looks.

Scotiabank Arena is rocking early on. The Bucks hold a 9-6 lead on three 3-pointers - Khris Middleton is 2-for-2 from long range to get things going for Milwaukee.

No changes for the Bucks either, who will go with their same starting lineup from Game 5 - Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.

No changes to the starting five for the Raptors - Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol.

The Raptors fans aren't messing around for Game 6. They've been lined up to get into "Jurassic Park" for hours now. </s> TORONTO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Pascal Siakam scored 18 points, Kyle Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors, who used a 26-3 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to turn the game in their favor.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the NBA’s top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat. </s> TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time ever.

Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead Toronto past the Milwaukee Bucks 100-94 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. </s> Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) keeps hold of the ball after being fouled during second half NBA Eastern Conference finals action against the Milwaukee Bucks, in Toronto on Saturday, May 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors will play in the NBA Finals, a Canadian basketball success story 24 years in the making.

Kawhi Leonard poured in 27 points and hauled down a game-high 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors to a thrilling 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that clinched the Eastern Conference finals series 4-2.

Kyle Lowry, playing through the constant pain of a sprained thumb, had 17 points and eight assists, and grabbed the game ball after the final buzzer sounded on what was Toronto’s biggest comeback of this post-season.

Pascal Siakam had 18 points, while Fred VanVleet finished with 14.

The road doesn’t get any easier for Toronto. The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors await after dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in four games in the west final almost a week ago. The Finals tip off in Toronto on Thursday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, favoured to win the league MVP after leading the Bucks to a league-best 60-win season — two better than Toronto — had 21 points and 11 boards, while Brook Lopez had 18.

The Raptors got off to a shaky start reminiscent of Game 5, giving up a 17-2 Bucks run that straddled the first and second quarters to trail by 15 points early in the first half.

Toronto closed the third quarter with a 10-0 run capped by three Leonard free throws that sliced the Bucks’ advantage to 76-71 with one quarter left to play.

The Raptors continued to ride a massive wave of momentum — a 26-3 run punctuated by a massive Leonard dunk from a hand-off from Lowry with 6:46 to play prompting a roar from the crowd that rocked Scotiabank Arena. The fans didn’t sit down again until the game’s final buzzer blew.

The Bucks pulled to within a point with just over five minutes to play, but three-pointers by Marc Gasol and Leonard — Leonard’s bouncing up off the rim before falling, in similar fashion to his conference semifinal Game 7 buzzer-beater against Philadelphia — had Toronto up by five with 3:04 to play.

Leonard, who missed all but nine games last season with San Antonio because of a serious quadriceps injury, was breathing heavily, hands on knees, after missing a dunk that Siakam tipped in with 2:06 to play.

A pair of free throws from Lopez made it a three-point game with 29.6 seconds to play, then Siakam was fouled with seven seconds left. The Cameroon big man sank one. Then Leonard was fouled with 3.9 seconds left, and with the crowd chanting “M-V-P!” Toronto’s superstar sank both. Game over. Lowry could barely contain his emotions as the final seconds ticked down.

The Raptors were making their second Eastern Conference finals appearance in franchise history, and first since they stole two games off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers before being ousted in six games in 2016.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri rebuilt this team with the lofty goal of an NBA championship, trading much-loved DeMar DeRozan for Leonard in the off-season and then swapping Jonas Valanciunas for Gasol at February’s trade deadline.

If fans complained then, they aren’t now.

Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night was a raucous sea of red. The capacity crowd, No. 233 in a row, included Blue Jays Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, former Raptor Bismack Biyombo, former TFC striker Sebastian Giovinco, Canadian actor Mena Massoud, singer Dallas Green, comedian Gerry Dee, and former CFL star Pinball Clemons, among others.

Drake, who’s been a lightning rod in the series since his impromptu shoulder squeeze of coach Nick Nurse in Game 4, wore a black hoodie that read on the back: “Kawhi Me a River.”

A thunderstorm that rolled through the city had threatened the celebrations in Jurassic Park outside the arena, but the area was opened about an hour before tipoff, and quickly filled by the thousands of fans who had stood in the massive line that snaked around the arena, past Union Station and up Yonge Street.

In his pre-game availability, Nurse was asked: how much does a close-out game come down to pure heart and desire?

“Eighty-six per cent of it,” the coach said. “We end up showing all these clips and all these coverages and all these matchups and all these things and blah, blah, blah. At the end of it every time, I say, ‘This is about 15 per cent of the game.’

“The rest of it is are we going to sprint back and are we going to communicate great and are we going to get physical, are we going to get into bodies, are we going to block out with some toughness. I can keep going on and on, but that’s where the 85 per cent comes from.”

READ MORE: Drake passions heat up with Raptors’ run as crucial game approaches

Toronto was all heart down the stretch on Saturday.

The Raptors dropped the first two games in Milwaukee, but rebounded to win three in a row, including a thrilling 105-99 victory on Thursday at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum that saw Toronto climb out of an 18-4 hole.

Only five teams in NBA history have come back from a 0-2 series deficit to win a conference final. The last time was in 2012, when an Oklahoma City squad that included Serge Ibaka battled back to beat San Antonio.

It was another horrible start for the Raptors, who went four minutes 41 seconds without a basket in the first quarter to trail by eight points. They tied it up with 3:50 to play, but the Bucks closed the quarter with a 15-2 run to lead 31-18 heading into the second.

The Bucks stretched their lead to 15 twice in the second quarter, but a VanVleet three capped a 21-8 Raptors run that pulled them to wihin two points. Milwaukee took a 50-44 lead into the dressing room at halftime.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter </s> Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is called for a defensive foul against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during second half action in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference final in Milwaukee on Thursday, May 23, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

MILWAUKEE — The Toronto Raptors are in uncharted territory. One win from the NBA Finals.

Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a thrilling 105-99 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday in the most important game in franchise history.

The Raptors can book their ticket to the finals with a win Saturday in Toronto.

It was Leonard’s 11th 30-plus performance for the Raptors, who took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals with their historic win. Never before has Toronto won three games in a conference final.

Three days after his girlfriend gave birth to their son, Fred VanVleet had seven three-pointers as part of a playoff career-high 21 points. Kyle Lowry, playing through what he called “pretty bad” pain with a sprained thumb, had 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Pascal Siakam had 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points to lead Bucks, who with 60 wins (two more than Toronto) had the best record in the league in the regular season. The Bucks hadn’t lost three straight games all season.

RELATED: Raptors beat Bucks 120-102 to even series at 2-2

The Raptors stumbled out at the start, digging themselves an early 14-point hole with horrible shooting. But, thanks to their stifling defence, they clawed their way back to take their first lead late in the second quarter. The Bucks led 75-72 with one quarter to play.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter </s> The Kawhi Leonard trade was worth it. After years of slamming their heads into a LeBron James-enforced glass ceiling, the Raptors are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, securing a come-from-behind, 100–94 win over the Bucks in Game 6 of the East Finals. The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit in a dramatic second half Saturday, and now they’ll face the Warriors in the championship round beginning May 30.

Simply put: Leonard cemented himself as the best player in the NBA against the Bucks. With Kevin Durant injured out West, and Kawhi facing an athletic marvel in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Leonard delivered with aplomb on both sides of the floor in the conference finals. He scored 27 points in the decisive Game 6, while collecting seven assists and a whopping 17 rebounds, including four massive ones off the offensive glass. Kawhi scored 19 points in the second half, continuing the trend of him outplaying Antetokounmpo in the game’s most crucial moments.

Kawhi’s play over the last four games was exactly why Masai Ujiri parted with longtime franchise favorite DeMar DeRozan last summer. Leonard is able to exert control over a game in a way reserved for the elitist of the elite. His imprint was all over Game 6, from timely buckets to his lockdown defense on Antetokounmpo, to his impressive passing after commanding double teams. Leonard carried a Herculean burden offensively, while forcing Giannis into easily his worst series of the playoffs on the other end of the floor. And he’s the biggest reason the Raptors will be headed to the Finals.

Over the last four games of the series, Toronto forced Milwaukee to play in mud, and the Bucks faltered when the games slowed to a snail’s pace. The Raptors thrived in the half court, and Saturday received timely contributions from the likes of Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. After shooting 7-of-9 from three in Game 5, VanVleet followed up with a 4-of-5 performance from beyond the arc in Game 6. Toronto connected at a higher rate than Milwaukee from deep, while also outscoring the Bucks from midrange and in the paint. Milwaukee was simply not built to play these type of half-court contests, and its offense looked bogged down for the fourth straight game.

Antetokounmpo will undoubtedly use this series as a learning experience. Leonard shut him down defensively when the two were matched up. Giannis was inconsistent at best in the half court, and at times he looked hesitant to shoot, all while also struggling from the free throw line. The Bucks’ supporting cast couldn’t bail out Antetokounmpo despite all the attention he drew in the paint, a concerning thought as the team heads toward a pivotal offseason. The stats from Games 3–6 paint a grim picture for the Bucks. Their offensive rating, a sterling 113.5 during the regular season, plummeted to 102.3 during the four-game losing streak. The pace of the final four games was a deliberate 94.6, which undoubtedly exacerbated Milwaukee’s struggles.

But Saturday, and this series, will ultimately be about Leonard. He's playing better now than he did when he won Finals MVP in 2014. Leonard’s last playoff run saw him take a massive leap, and he’s again taken his game to another level. He’s become an equalizer for the Raptors. If, and when, everyone else on the floor is struggling, Nick Nurse can call an iso for Kawhi and expect a bucket. When an opponent presents an until-this-moment unstoppable offensive force, Nurse can ask Kawhi to check him defensively and slow him down considerably. It’s unclear what Leonard’s presence will mean in a series against the Warriors, but the fact that he can credibly be the best player on the floor at times during that matchup speaks to not only why Toronto acquired him, but also how well Kawhi has played throughout this postseason.

For the Raptors, the work is not done. Golden State is the favorite, but particularly with Durant’s injury, the Warriors are probably in their most vulnerable state of the last three years. Toronto will have a legitimate belief at the start of the Finals, which is probably much more than whatever the Cavaliers had at the start of last year’s championship. But this Raptors season is already a success. Last summer’s makeover—and the continuing tinkering at the trade deadline—worked exactly as intended. And now, Toronto is headed to its first-ever Finals, with an unquestioned superstar at the height of his power—another franchise first—leading the charge. </s> Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors into the NBA finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Thursday night.

Pascal Siakam scored 18 points, Kyle Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors, who used a 26-3 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to turn the game in their favor.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the NBA’s top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.

Down 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Ibaka’s dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.

Antetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn’t matter to Toronto, with Siakam’s basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.

Leonard’s one-handed slam after Lowry’s steal gave Toronto an 87-79 lead with 6:46 to go before the Bucks responded. George Hill answered with a layup, Brook Lopez converted a three-point play and Antetokounmpo scored to cut it to 87-86 with 5:19 to go.

Lowry and Lopez swapped baskets before Gasol’s three put the Raptors up 92-88 with 3:50 left. After another basket by Lopez, Leonard made a three to push Toronto’s lead to 95-90 with 3:04 to play. It was Leonard’s first three after missing his first seven attempts of the game.

Toronto made 12 of 27 three-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.

Siakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.

Brogdon and Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from three-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.

The Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a three by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a three by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a three and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.

The lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.
The Toronto Raptors defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the team's history.