The Toronto Raptors were unable to make a statement after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It appears forward Kawhi Leonard has an idea of what attributed to their loss.
It is no secret that Toronto's offense failed them down the stretch. Regardless, Leonard is more upset with their performance on the defensive end of the floor.
"We didn't play too well on defense."
Kawhi shares what he felt went wrong for the Raptors in Game 1. #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/7ui34rGlDo
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2019
There is certainly plenty of truth to Leonard's comments. The Raptors had gotten off to a hot start in Game 1 and appeared to be in control early on. Unfortunately, the momentum switched in the second half and never came back to Toronto's side.
Leonard still finished with a stellar stat line of 31 points, nine rebounds and three steals in their 108-100 loss. However, his buckets were much more difficult to come by against the long Bucks team as he shot just 10-for-26 from the field, including 1-of-5 from deep.
While he may have endured his fair share of struggles on offense, his defense was still nothing short of spectacular.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of Toronto's roster. Milwaukee finished the game with 60 rebounds, 15 of which came on the offensive glass. Giving the Bucks so many second chances on offense clearly had a large impact on the outcome of the game.
The Raptors will need to be much more efficient on the defensive end if they hope to even the series in Game 2 on Friday.
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