Thanks in large part to the fourth-quarter play of Brook Lopez, the Milwaukee Bucks walked away from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 108-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
The Bucks trailed for much of the game, but a second-half surge led the team to a come-from-behind win.
Brook logged 35 minutes in Wednesday's Game 1 matchup, scoring 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field (4-of-11 from beyond the arc), 11 rebounds, two assists and four blocks. 13 of his playoff career-high points came in the fourth quarter alone. And furthermore, his 29 points were the most scored by a Bucks center in the playoffs since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Brook's twin brother, Robin, claims he wasn't following the game closely, at least until he received a Twitter mention from Quincy Pondexter. In fact, Robin, whose Bulls failed to reach the playoffs this season, claimed that he was simply trying to enjoy a “The Facts of Life” rerun:
Hey @rolopez42 when did you teach Brook how to shoot 3s like this and why is his celebration cooler than yours?!?
— Quincy Pondexter (@QuincyPondexter) May 16, 2019
I'm having the time of my life at home watching Facts of Life reruns I swear to God
…
…
… https://t.co/rXAl0hbKTu pic.twitter.com/EPqIScINcy— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) May 16, 2019
Brook Lopez jammed home a dunk with just over two minutes remaining. He then buried a 3-pointer on the next Milwaukee possession, pushing his team's lead to four. The Raptors, who led for 37 of the game's 48 minutes, were unable to recover:
Brook Lopez out here closing games for the Bucks 🤷🏽‍♂️🔥 Milwaukee is three wins away from the Finals! (Via @bucks) pic.twitter.com/UB7mZ1Etmp
— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) May 16, 2019
“We just did a great job of sticking with what we've been doing all postseason long,” Brook Lopez told ESPN during his postgame availability.
The Bucks and Raptors will meet for Game 2 on Friday night. Tip-off inside the Fiserv Forum is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
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