Kawhi Leonard, Raptors Stun Giannis, Bucks with Game 5 Road Win to Take 3-2 Lead

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Kawhi Leonard had 35 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors beat the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks 105-99 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday at Fiserv Forum.

Fred VanVleet posted a plus-28 and added 21 points on seven three-pointers, including one with 2:19 remaining to give the Raps a 96-93 edge:

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, six rebounds and six assists for the host Bucks, who fell behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven matchup. Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Eric Bledsoe chipped in 20 points.

Milwaukee led 18-4 just five minutes into the game, but Toronto stemmed the tide and pulled within three at halftime.

The Bucks held a 75-72 advantage going into the fourth, but the Raps offense caught fire in the final 12 minutes thanks in part to 15 Leonard points and a pair of VanVleet threes.

Milwaukee had a chance to tie the game in the final half-minute, but a Brogdon turnover with 26.8 seconds left gave the ball back to Toronto. Raps forward Pascal Siakam then provided the exclamation point with a dunk to put Toronto up two possessions.

The Raptors scored 24 more points from three-point range than Milwaukee and 12 more at the free-throw line. They also committed just six turnovers.

What’s Next?

Toronto will host Milwaukee for Game 6 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. A Raptors win will vault them into the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, which dates back to 1995-96. 

If the Bucks win, however, then Milwaukee will host the series-deciding Game 7 on Monday at 8:30 p.m. The winner will face the back-to-back NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, which begin May 30 at 9 p.m.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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