The Milwaukee Bucks led from start to finish in Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors, as they protect their homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Milwaukee took care of business at Fiserv Forum, blowing out the Raptors mercilessly to the tune of a 125-103 victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks and finished with a monster stat line of 30 points, 17 rebounds and five assists.
Giannis also had a couple of blocks and a steal in a night that saw him shoot 50 percent from the field.
6 Wins To Go!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/ufRC8bDnpZ
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 18, 2019
Antetokounmpo’s performance put him in some elite company in franchise playoffs history. He became only the second player since Kareem-Abdul Jabbar to record a 30-15-15 stat line in a postseason game for the Bucks.
The bench also came up big for Milwaukee. With Brook Lopez struggling after his breakout performance in Game 1, Ersan Ilyasova picked up the slack and poured in 17 markers. Malcolm Brogdon and George Hill chipped in 14 and 13 points respectively to give the Bucks a huge offensive boost.
Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 31 points, but his efforts were not enough to lead a Toronto fightback. The team went down by as much as 28 points and trailed the Bucks 64-39 at halftime.
Kyle Lowry was the only other Toronto starter to score in double figures. Pascal Siakam, Danny Green and Marc Gasol combined for just 18 points — with the three shooting a measly 29 percent from the field. Gasol was suspect, as he went 1-of-9 from the field.
The Raptors are now in a 0-2 deficit and are facing a difficult situation, with Game 3 a must-win if they want to keep their NBA Finals hopes alive.
Game 3 is on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.