The Toronto Raptors finally won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 118-112 in a double-overtime thriller in Game 3 behind another stellar performance from Kawhi Leonard.
The All-Star forward finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals while playing a total of 52 minutes — the most he played in a game. He also did a great job in being the primary defender to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who only managed to score 12 points in the game.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse knows that Kawhi is tired because of playing heavy minutes in Game 3, but he believes that he will be 100 percent ready for Game 4 on Tuesday.
"I think the consensus today is he's tired," Nurse says of Kawhi, but adds he'll get his rest and treatment today and be ready to go for tomorrow night's Game 4.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 20, 2019
However, aside from fatigue, there are also some speculations that Leonard might have suffered a minor injury in Game 3. He was seen favoring his right leg on multiple occasions, and this could create some problems for the Raptors especially if he aggravates it further in Game 4.
Leonard downplayed this injury, saying that he'll be ready to go Tuesday night,
The Raptors have cut the Bucks' series lead to 2-1, with the opportunity of tying things up in Game 4. Kawhi is once again expected to carry most of the offensive load, and his teammates will need to provide significant contributions if they want to have a better chance of winning.
On Sunday, four other Raptors have scored in double figures, led by Pascal Siakam's 25 points. Veteran center Marc Gasol, who struggled mightily in the first two games of the series, turned back the clock a little bit and finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Norman Powell provided 16 markers off the bench.
If Toronto can get this kind of production from most of their players, expect them to give the Bucks a good run for their money.
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