TORONTO — Used as almost a decoy, Kawhi Leonard helped even the series 2-2 for the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
Hobbled with a knee injury that isn’t really be categorized as anything, Leonard scored 19 points, had seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the 120-102 blowout over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Again, many of the Bucks didn’t show up, aside from Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who combined for 55 points.
Antetokounmpo shot 5-for-8 in the first, matching the number of made baskets he had during Milwaukee’s double-overtime loss in Game 3. The 24-year-old went 4 of 9 the rest of the way, as the Bucks continuously had to play catch up, never getting closer than 10 points with 2:54 left in the third quarter.
Only one other teammate finished in double figures. Nikola Mirotic scored 11 but he was just 2-for-8 from downtown and had four turnovers in 25 minutes.
Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova combined to shoot 10-for-28 from the field — Brogdon going 2 of 11 by himself.
In 2017, Milwaukee was up 2-1 against Toronto in the playoffs, before losing the next three games.
In the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks were up 2-1, but the Philadelphia 76ers took the series in seven — the only other time between now and then that Milwaukee has been out of the first round of the playoffs.
