Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors started Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a bang. They jumped on the Milwaukee Bucks early, but they were unable to play a complete 48-minute game. Milwaukee ended up taking Game 1 by a final score of 108-100 when everything was said and done.
Part of the issue for the Raptors down the stretch was the play of Leonard. He did not play well in the fourth quarter, scoring just two points in the final period.
Skip Bayless has not been a huge fan of Leonard's this season and that did not change after Game 1. He took to Twitter to rip into the superstar for his performance in the fourth quarter.
That was some 4th quarter by Toronto's No. 2 … 2 points on a follow of his own miss. Just can't trust him when it really matters. Toronto was up 6 going to the 4th. But HE the North went south.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 16, 2019
Leonard ended up scoring 31 points in the game, while grabbing nine rebounds as well. He shot 10-for-26 from the field overall and knocked down just one of his five three-point attempts. From the foul line, Leonard connected on all 10 of his attempts.
Even though he did not perform well in the fourth quarter, there is a potential reason for it. Nick Nurse did not do a great job at getting Leonard the amount of rest he needed. Leonard did not look as engaged and he certainly did not look terribly fresh in the final quarter.
Toronto has to feel good about their chances to play with the Bucks. Even though they ended up losing, they stayed in the game all the way until the end and look great for the majority of the contest. Milwaukee did not play their best game, but the Raptors have the talent to stick with the Bucks.
Bayless does have a point. If the Raptors are going to win this series, they are going to need their superstar to close their game a bit better.
Game 2 will be on Friday evening in Milwaukee as the Raptors look to steal home-court advantage.
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