Getty Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors looks on in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks.
After tying the Eastern Conference Finals 2-2, the Toronto Raptors battle the Milwaukee Bucks in a very important Game 5 on Thursday night.
Thursday, May 23 at 8:30 PM ET
Fiserv Forum
Coverage: TNT
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Bookmaker
- Toronto Raptors vs. Milwaukee Bucks (-7 at -117)
- Over/Under: 216.5 at -110
Raptors Destroy Bucks in Game 4
Kyle Lowry had an efficient 25 points on roughly average usage and 16 true shot attempts, including 3/7 from downtown, 2/3 at the rim, and 10/10 at the line. His 6 assists came against just 1 dead-ball turnover. He also grabbed 5 boards.
The Raptors beat the Bucks 120-102 in Game 4 behind a big night from Kyle Lowry, who led the way with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds while Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points in 34 minutes in a relatively quiet night.
Sports analytics and strategy site Positive Residual broke down Lowry’s efficient effort. The point guard scored his 25 points on a roughly average 21 percent usage and 16 true shot attempts, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range, 2-for-3 at the rim and 10-for-10 at the free-throw line. Lowry’s six assists came against just one dead-ball turnover and he also grabbed five rebounds.
Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped up for the Bucks but the rest of the team played poorly; the Raptors just outplayed them in practically all aspects and the Bucks couldn’t keep up with a balanced offensive effort from the home team.
Middleton finished with a game-high 30 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds and Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists but he also finished with a team-worst -19 plus-minus (+/-).
Middleton’s offensive performance was noteworthy despite the loss, he scored his 30 points on just 17 true shot attempts and he was 5-for-5 from the midrange. The seven assists he had led to five shots at the rim and two corner 3-pointers and he had zero turnovers and six rebounds.
The Toronto bench made a big difference, outscoring the Milwaukee second unit 48-23 with Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet all scoring in double figures while Ersan Ilyasova had just seven points to lead the Bucks reserves.
Raptors vs. Bucks Trends and Prediction
The Over is:
- 5-0 in Toronto’s last five games playing on one day of rest
- 5-1 in Toronto’s last six games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game
- 8-3 in Toronto’s last 11 games against a team with a winning straight up record
- 5-2 in Toronto’s last seven games overall
- 7-1 in Milwaukee’s last eight games playing on one day of rest
- 6-1 in Milwaukee’s last seven games against a team with a winning percentage above .600
- 8-3 in Milwaukee’s last 11 games against a team with a winning straight up record
- 14-6 in Milwaukee’s last 20 games overall
- 8-3 in the last 11 meetings
- 4-1 in the last five meetings in Milwaukee
“We’ve got to do our job now.”
Giannis on the Bucks heading back to Milwaukee tied 2-2 with the Raptors
(via @NBATV)
The Bucks didn’t do their job on Tuesday, they missed nine free-throws and had 12 turnovers which cost them Game 4. The Bucks are a completely different team at home and they know what’s at stake on Thursday so key contributors like Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, George Hill, Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic will show up and help make this a high-scoring affair.
Pick: Over 216.5
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