Raptors beat Bucks to reach first NBA final

LOS ANGELES, United States — Kawhi Leonard finished with 27 points and a career high 17 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors advanced to their first NBA final with a 100-94 win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

The Raptors won the series in six games as Saturday's (Sunday Manila time) contest at Scotiabank Arena was a mirror image of game five, featuring a strong start by Milwaukee before Toronto came back in the fourth quarter to close it out with several clutch plays down the stretch.

The Raptors reached their first finals in their 24-year history where they will face the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. Game one of the best-of-seven final is Thursday in Toronto.

"I just took it one possession at a time," Leonard said. "We kept fighting all game. The calls were not going our way, but we kept striving and striving."

Leonard won the head to head battle against Giannis Antetokounmpo, even dunking over the mighty "Greek Freak" with six minutes left in the fourth to give Toronto a 87-79 lead.

Leonard also hit another dynamic three-pointer from his favourite corner spot on the floor with three minutes left to make it 95-90. 

He shot nine of 22 from the field and had seven assists for the Raptors, who roared back to win four straight games after falling into an 0-2 hole to begin the series.

Pascal Siakam tallied 18 points, Kyle Lowry finished with 17 and Fred VanVleet came off the bench to score 14 points in the win.

Toronto was down by 15 points at one stage in the third quarter before Leonard's supporting cast sparked the comeback to start the fourth.

"We thrive at it. We enjoy the moment," Leonard said. "My teammates have my back. I was on the bench to start the fourth quarter and they came back. It was a collective effort."

Antetokounmpo tallied a double double with 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, who lost in the NBA playoff semi-finals after finishing with the best record in the regular season.

source: philstar.com

Warriors stomp Spurs in clash of NBA heavyweights

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors recorded a knockout in Round 1 of their battle with the San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference regular-season superiority Monday night, riding Stephen Curry’s 37 points to a 120-90 victory in the highly anticipated showdown.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player bombed in five 3-pointers as the Warriors (41-4) shot 11-for-26 from beyond the arc in the first meeting of the top two teams in the West this season.

Golden State’s 39th consecutive home victory — their 21st this season — gave it a three-game lead over San Antonio (38-7) in their duel for top seeding in the Western playoffs.

The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Spurs, who had an 18.0-point average margin of victory during that run. They played without star power forward Tim Duncan, who was resting an ailing right knee.

Curry, who hit 12 of his 20 shots overall, also had four assists and five steals in 29 minutes for the Warriors, whose last home loss (Nov. 11, 2014) came at the hands of the Spurs.

In fact, San Antonio had prevailed in 23 of its previous 26 visits to Oakland before falling behind by seven in the fifth minute of the game and by as many as 19 in the second period.

Curry set the tone early, connecting on three 3-pointers in a 15-point first period during which the Spurs fell behind despite playing their most competitive ball of the night.

But when backup guard Shaun Livingston got into the act with five consecutive hoops in the second period, including dunks off assists from Curry, power forward Draymond Green and fellow reserve Andre Iguodala, the game got away from the Spurs for good.

Curry crushed the Spurs with three more 3-pointers in the third period, during which the Warriors ran up a 95-66 lead to set the stage for an inconsequential final 12 minutes.

Curry added 18 points to his total in the quarter while nearly outscoring San Antonio (19) single-handedly.

Livingston totaled 13 points for the Warriors, who won their fourth straight game. Fellow backups Brandon Rush and Marreese Speights also finished with 13 points.

Green had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 27 minutes, and shooting guard Klay Thompson was a sixth Warrior in double figures with 11 points.

The Warriors shot 51.8 percent from the field, compared to San Antonio’s 41.9 percent.

Small forward Kawhi Leonard hit seven consecutive free throws in a 16-point outing for the Spurs, whose six previous losses had come by a total of just 33 points.

Power forward David West, starting in place of Duncan, made six of his eight shots on a 12-point night for San Antonio, which won the season series 2-1 over the champion Warriors last year.

Backup center Boban Marjanovic dropped in 12 points in 13 minutes.

The Spurs’ starting backcourt of Tony Parker (five points) and Danny Green (three) was outscored 45-8 by Warriors counterparts Curry and Thompson.

NOTES: Asked to describe his anxiety level before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted, “I’ve got butterflies in my gut. I don’t feel like that every night.” … The matchup of 40-4 and 38-6 clubs had the highest combined winning percentage (.886) in NBA history for a showdown at least 40 games into the season. The previous mark of .871 had been set on Jan. 9, 1972, when the Milwaukee Bucks (35-8) ended the 33-game winning streak of the Los Angeles Lakers (39-3). … The game pitted the league’s top offense (Golden State, 114.7 points per game) against the league’s top defense (San Antonio, 89.8). … Warriors coach Steve Kerr was teammates with Spurs PF Tim Duncan (four years), PG Tony Parker (one year) and SG Manu Ginobili (one year) during his four seasons playing for Popovich in San Antonio. … When asked how the Spurs have improved defensively this season, Kerr observed, “The biggest change is Tony Parker. He just looks healthier and more active defensively.”

source: interaksyon.com

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard named Finals MVP

Spurs third-year forward Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP after another big performance in the title-clinching 104-87 win over the Miami Heat in Game Five in San Antonio.

Leonard, who is only 22 years old, became the youngest Finals MVP since teammate Tim Duncan won the award in 1999, when he was the same age.

Aside from his defense on four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, Leonard stepped up in a big way on the other end, leading the Spurs with averages of 23.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the last three games – all of them lopsided wins for San Antonio.

He finished with 22 point and 10 rebounds, both team-highs, as the Spurs clinched their fifth title in franchise history.

It was no surprise to the San Antonio fans, who serenaded Leonard with ‘MVP’ chants every time he was on the free throw line, even as early as the first quarter.

He was also the first Finals MVP that wasn’t an All-Star since Chauncey Billups in 2004.

source: interaksyon.com