The Toronto Raptors got back into the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 National Basketball Association playoffs on Sunday. In game three of their best out of seven series, the Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-112 in double overtime. The Bucks still lead the Eastern Conference Final two games to one following a 108-100 win in game one on Wednesday and a 125-103 win on Friday.
Kawhi Leonard, who is expected to join the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency at the end of the 2019 NBA postseason, led the Raptors in scoring with 36 points. Four other Raptors reached double digits in scoring as power forward Pascal Siakam had 25 points, small forward Norman Powell had 19 points, center Marc Gasol had 16 points and Kyle Lowry had 11 points. Gasol and Siakam also had double doubles as Gasol had 12 rebounds and Siakam had 11 rebounds. Gasol led the Raptors with seven assists.
The 19 points off the bench was huge for Powell. In game three, Powell played 30 minutes even though he did not get a start and reached double digits in scoring for the second straight game. In the Raptors’ game two loss against the Bucks, Powell scored 14 points in 25 minutes.
Heading into the series against the Bucks, the Raptors bench was a bit of a question mark as they have struggled as a whole in the 2019 NBA Playoffs to date. However on Sunday, the Raptors had a credible option off the bench to counter the 24 points scored by George Hill and 20 points scored by Malcolm Brogdon. Game four of the series is Tuesday at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
