The two top teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference squared off on Saturday night, and the Toronto Raptors claimed an important 123-116 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Raptors, who moved to 29-12 on the season with their win, were led by all-pro forward Kawhi Leonard, who scored 30 points while tallying 6 assists and 6 rebounds.
The Raptors got key performances from two unheralded players as well. Power forward Pascal Siakam had a career-high 30 point game, and point guard Fred VanVleet notched 21 points and 8 assists on the night.
The loss for Milwaukee was only their 4th in 22 home games this season. Despite losing on Saturday, they are still in first place in the Eastern Conference with a razor-thin 0.5 game lead over the Raptors.
Even though Milwaukee lost, they can still be positive about forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s effort in their loss. The “Greek Freak” turned in the best individual performance from a player on either team, with a monster 43 point, 18 rebound double-double.
Milwaukee will look to maintain their narrow Eastern Conference advantage as they host the Utah Jazz on Monday night, while the Raptors return home to take on the third-place team in the East, the Indiana Pacers.
