Antetokounmpo leads Bucks by Raptors in East finals rematch

 Giannis Antetokounmpo h 19 points and 19 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 22 points and Milwaukee Bucks beat Toronto Raptors 108-97 on Tuesday night in a matchup between top teams in Eastern Conference.

Eric Bledsoe scored 17 points and Brook Lopez h 15 as NBA-leing Bucks won ir fifth straight and 18th of 20. Milwaukee (50-8) was playing second game of a back-to-back after winning in overtime at Washington Monday.

Antetokounmpo finished with eight assists, narrowly missing a triple-double.

Behind by 12 points late in second quarter, Bucks rallied to beat Raptors in ir first game in Toronto since losing Game 6 of Eastern Conference finals last May, completing a disappointing collapse after winning first two games of that series at home.

Bucks beat Raptors 115-105 when teams met in Milwaukee on v. 2. y’ll face each or again in consecutive games on April 1 and 3.

Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and Fred VanVleet h 14 as defending NBA champion Raptors lost for second time in 19 games. Toronto was beaten at home for first time since Jan. 12 against San Antonio, ending a nine-game run.

It was a rough night for Raptors starters Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry. Ibaka me 2 of 15 shots and Lowry shot 2 for 12. Ibaka went 1 for 10 from 3-point range while Lowry was 1 for 7.

Lowry, Terence Davis and Chris Boucher all scored 10 points for Raptors.

Toronto trailed 84-71 to begin fourth, but Davis scored five points as Raptors closed gap with a 7-0 spurt over first 90 seconds of final quarter.

VanVleet’s four-point play with 2:23 left cut it to 101-94, and Raptors forced a steal on Milwaukee’s next possession but VanVleet missed a 3. Antetokounmpo hit a 3 at or end, restoring double-digit vant.

Six of Toronto’s 10 field goals in first quarter were 3-pointers, including a pair from Siakam. Raptors led 27-25 after one.

Toronto was up 51-39, its biggest le of game, after OG Anuby dunked over Antetokounmpo with 2:58 to go in second. Milwaukee closed quarter with an 11-1 spurt, cutting deficit to 52-50 at halftime.

After missing 10 of 11 attempts from 3-point range in second, Bucks hit three in a row from distance during ir closing surge. All five of Antetokounmpo’s points in quarter came during that stretch.

Middleton me just one of five shots in first half but went 3 for 3 in third and scored nine points as Bucks outscored Raptors 34-19 to take an 84-71 le into fourth.

TIP-INS

Bucks: C Brook Lopez returned to starting lineup after sitting out Monday’s overtime win at Washington because of a sore back. … Bucks topped 100 points for 82nd consecutive game but failed to score at least 110 for first time in 19 games, snapping longest such streak in league this season.

Raptors: Toronto set a season high with 52 3-point attempts. Raptors me 18. … C Marc Gasol (left hamstring) missed his 11th straight game while G rman Powell (broken finger, left hand) missed his ninth. Powell is set to be re-examined next week, coach Nick Nurse said … F Patrick McCaw sat for third straight game because of flu-like symptoms but could return Friday against Charlotte, Nurse said. … Toronto me 17 turvers, leing to 19 points for Bucks.

T FOR TWO

After Lopez was called for a technical foul in second, Lowry was standing at line waiting to shoot free throw when Nurse was called for technical, wiping out Lowry’s attempt.

LONG DISTANCE

Toronto set a franchise record with 52 3-point attempts.

“Let’s say 40 of m were probably decent,” Nurse said.

Raptors me 18 shots from beyond arc. Siakam led way, going 5 for 9.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host Oklahoma City on Friday.

Raptors: Host Charlotte on Friday.