| Advertisement |
TORONTO -- Norman Powell, starting for only the second time in the series, scored 25 points as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-93 Monday night to take a 3-2 lead in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup. Game 6 will be played Thursday in Milwaukee.
Advertisement
Powell was put into the lineup for Game 5 in Milwaukee after Toronto's poor performance in Game 4.
Kyle Lowry added 16 points and 10 assists for the Raptors on Monday. Serge Ibaka chipped in with 19 points, DeMar DeRozan had 18 points, DeMarre Carroll added 12 and Cory Joseph scored 10 off the bench.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points, and Greg Monroe had 11.
The Raptors used a 17-0 run in the first quarter to take a 26-11 lead. The Bucks responded with a 9-0 run. Toronto led 31-20 at the end of the opening quarter with Ibaka and Powell each scoring nine points.
Toronto went ahead by 19 points with 6:36 to play in the second quarter on Patrick Patterson's jumper.
Milwaukee trimmed the lead to 10 with 2:57 to play in the first half when Khris Middleton's turnaround, fadeaway jump shot finished a 9-0 run. The Raptors led 57-48 at the intermission.
Lowry led Toronto with 12 first-half points and Ibaka had 11. Antetokounmpo had 16 points for the Bucks before the break.
The Raptors took a 15-point lead with 7:59 left in the third quarter when Powell hit a 3-pointer from the corner.
There was a skirmish with 4:11 to play in the third quarter with Monroe and Toronto's Jonas Valanciunas given technical fouls.
It started under Toronto's defensive basket when Valanciunas and Monroe became entangled, and the brief exchange erupted under the Milwaukee defensive basket.
The Raptors led by 21 points when Joseph made a 3-pointer with 43.6 seconds to play in the third quarter. The Raptors led 90-73 after three quarters.
Antetokounmpo's running layup brought the Bucks to within 14 points with 7:19 to play.
The Raptors stretched their lead to 18 when Lowry made two free throws with 6:39 remaining.
Powell's spectacular driving dunk bumped the lead to 19.
DeRozan's 3-pointer had the lead at 23 with 2:46 left.
NOTES: Bucks G Khris Middleton (sore throat) missed the shootaround Monday but was in the starting lineup. He scored eight points in 36 minutes. ... Raptors G Kyle Lowry (stiff back) did not participate in the shootaround but was in the starting lineup. ... Toronto finished with a 40-23 rebounding edge.
