NBA Starting Lineups and Match Prediction - Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks - Game 5
Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks Game 5, Fiserv Forum, 8:30 PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Toronto Raptors for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The series is tied 2-2 after a great comeback by the Toronto Raptors, winning back to back at home after being down by two.
Let us analyse how things stand ahead of the Game 5 clash in Milwaukee.
The Toronto Raptors perspective
Kawhi Leonard was seen hobbling in the Game 4, but Raptors still ended up closing the game in their favour. The Raptors beat the Bucks by 120-102 at home and tied the series 2-2.
Kyle Lowry led the squad with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds on the night. There were 6 players in double figures and out of them, three came off the bench. The Raptors' bench scored 48 points in contrast to Bucks' bench that scored 23 points on the night.
Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points on the night and Raptors will be concerned about his health as he was seen limping.
This is what coach Nick Nurse had to say about Kawhi's injury:
"I think he's fine. He's logged a lot of minutes. He's certainly tired, like a lot of guys in this series are."
"He looks OK to me. I think there's a lot of guys out there that aren't 100 percent — on both sides of the ball."
The Raptors will be visiting Milwaukee for Game 5 and will be expecting the same all-around effort from the team instead of just depending on Leonard.
Predicted Starting lineup: Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry and Danny Green.
The Milwaukee Bucks perspective
The Bucks will be willing to get back to the winning ways after losing two straight.
Khris Middleton led the scoring yesterday for the Bucks as he finished with 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds. With him, Giannis finished with 25 points and ten rebounds. Only Nikola Mirotic was the other scorer in double figures and the bench contributing just 23 points.
Also, Eric Bledsoe scored just 5 points on the night, and much will be expected of him in this game. With Kyle Lowry finding his knack, Bledsoe needs to step up on the occasion if the Bucks are to attain a comfortable victory at home.
This is what Giannis said after the game:
The feeling is not any different. We've still got to get better, stick with our game plan. (We've) just got to play with more energy, execute better, but our feeling is the same.
They did their job, they protected home, we've got to do our job now.
Predicted Starting Lineup: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Mirotic, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe.
How things might unfold
The Raptors made a massive comeback in the series and will be confident entering the game 5. However, the clouds of Leonard's injury are still lingering over them. Can the rest of the squad continue to produce such excellent performances on the road as well?
The Bucks will be looking to dominate at home as they have done the entire season. The whole squad needs to chip in some points to reduce some pressure off Giannis and Middleton.
WIth Bucks itching to make a comeback and are at home tonight which gives them a slight edge over Raptors.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks to beat Toronto Raptors