Despite facing the two-time reigning NBA Champions, the upstart Toronto Raptors have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead after a 105-92 win at Oracle Arena in Oakland this weekend.

The Raptors will have a chance to wrap up the series and claim their first ever NBA Championship in a Game 5 matchup at home on Monday night.

The Warriors, who are still without superstar forward Kevin Durant, simply couldn’t find enough offensive spark to get past the Raptors and superstar Kawhi Leonard.

If the Raptors are able to close out the series, Leonard will certainly take home the Finals MVP honors, and deservingly so. The forward dominated yet again in Oakland in Game 4, scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a monster double-double performance.

Toronto also benefitted from a big night from Serge Ibaka off the bench. Ibaka tallied 20 points in limited action, asserting his will in the paint.

While Steph Curry and Klay Thompson scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, their teammates just couldn’t provide enough buckets to keep up with Toronto.

Game 5 will be played in Toronto in front of what is sure to be a fired-up crowd on Monday night.

The post Raptors Defeat Warriors in Game 4, Take 3-1 Series Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

On Thursday night, the Raptors did just that. They won their third consecutive game in the series to take a 3-2 series heading into Game 6 in Toronto.

Now, all the Raptors have to do to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history is pull out one more win.

The Raptors pulled out a 105-99 Game 5 victory in Milwaukee, surprising many that had expected the Bucks to win with the series tied at 2 apiece. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Kawhi Leonard wasn’t going to make things easy for them.

The Raptors superstar scored 35 points to lead his team to victory. In addition to his healthy point total, the All-Star forward recorded 7 rebounds and distributed 9 assists to teammates.

Leonard was best in crunch time, as he scored 15 of his 35 points as the Raptors sealed the game in the 4th quarter.

Fred VanVleet was also crucial for Toronto, scoring 21 points off of the bench.

The Raptors will have a chance to wrap up the series in Game 6 at home on Saturday night.

The post Kawhi’s 35 Points Lead Raptors Past Bucks in Game 5 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

After seeing Game 1 slipping out of their hands in the final two minutes, Raptors were in danger of allowing that to happen in Game 3 as well. They entered the final minute of the game with a five-point lead but failed to score a single basket since then and allowed Bucks to force overtime. Two teams ended level in the first overtime as well, and only in the second one, Toronto managed to get the badly needed win.

Kawhi Leonard scored game-high 36 points for Toronto Raptors, while Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell added 25 and 19 points respectively. 

“It’s playoff basketball,” – said Leonard after the game. “I want to win. … We’re still here. Nobody wants to go home. We’re going to keep striving to reach that goal. That’s what I pride myself on, both ends of the floor.”

Milwaukee Bucks, on the other side, were led by bench players George Hill with 24 points and Malcolm Brogdon, who provided 20 points. Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, had his worse game in the playoffs, managing to score only 12 points and fouling out of the game.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t have our best game,” – said Antetokounmpo. “But obviously our team is special, and even though their leaders had a bad night, they were able to send this game into double overtime.”

Raptors and Bucks play again on Tuesday night in Toronto.

The post Raptors Hold Off Bucks, Win in Double Overtime Game 3 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Good thing for the Raptors, they have a player named Kawhi Leonard who took care of business.

Leonard hit an incredibly difficult fadeaway jumped over the 76ers’ Joel Embiid as time expired to lift Toronto to a 92-90 Game 7 win. Their victory qualifies the Raptors for a date with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

The Raptors hosted the 76ers in the series finale, and the game lived up to its billing. The two teams fought tooth and nail, with several lead changes occurring throughout the second half of the game.

After Embiid tied up the game at 90 after hitting two free throws with only 12 seconds left on the clock, it was clear the the Raptors wanted to get the ball to Leonard for a final shot.

He got it, he made it, and he sent his team on to the next round.

The Scotiabank Arena went berserk, as Toronto advanced to its second conference finals in franchise history.

There, the Raptors will have a tough task as they look to tame Giannis Antentokoumpo and the 1-seeded Bucks.

The post Kawhi Leonard’s Buzzer-Beater Beats 76ers in Game 7 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“I’m a fun guy, Leonard said with a rare smile in his face. “Obviously, I love the game of basketball.”

Leonard was traded to Toronto in the offseason for Demar DeRozan after his relationship with the Spurs became unbearable. When healthy, the 27-year-old is one of the league’s best players. He was third in the 2016-17 MVP and the 2014-15 defensive player of the year.

Last season, Kawhi suffered a leg injury and stayed in the sidelines for 73 games. Things got worse between him and the Spurs toward the end of the season. He asked out and was traded off to Toronto.

At Monday’s media day, Leonard insisted he is healthy and ready to lead the Raptors for a victory in the Eastern Conference.

“I want to play here, Kawhi said. “As long as I have on a jersey, I want to play basketball. I came here with an open mind.”

Kawhi, who is in the final year of his contract, declined to talk about his future saying,

“If you look toward the future, you’re going to trip over the present.”

Raptors’ new coach Nick Nurse is hopeful Leonard will stay healthy this season and lead them to a conference win.

The post Kawhi Leonard Steps out in Raptors Jersey, Ready for the Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite facing the two-time reigning NBA Champions, the upstart Toronto Raptors have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead after a 105-92 win at Oracle Arena in Oakland this weekend.

The Raptors will have a chance to wrap up the series and claim their first ever NBA Championship in a Game 5 matchup at home on Monday night.

The Warriors, who are still without superstar forward Kevin Durant, simply couldn’t find enough offensive spark to get past the Raptors and superstar Kawhi Leonard.

If the Raptors are able to close out the series, Leonard will certainly take home the Finals MVP honors, and deservingly so. The forward dominated yet again in Oakland in Game 4, scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a monster double-double performance.

Toronto also benefitted from a big night from Serge Ibaka off the bench. Ibaka tallied 20 points in limited action, asserting his will in the paint.

While Steph Curry and Klay Thompson scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, their teammates just couldn’t provide enough buckets to keep up with Toronto.

Game 5 will be played in Toronto in front of what is sure to be a fired-up crowd on Monday night.

The post Raptors Defeat Warriors in Game 4, Take 3-1 Series Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

On Thursday night, the Raptors did just that. They won their third consecutive game in the series to take a 3-2 series heading into Game 6 in Toronto.

Now, all the Raptors have to do to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history is pull out one more win.

The Raptors pulled out a 105-99 Game 5 victory in Milwaukee, surprising many that had expected the Bucks to win with the series tied at 2 apiece. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Kawhi Leonard wasn’t going to make things easy for them.

The Raptors superstar scored 35 points to lead his team to victory. In addition to his healthy point total, the All-Star forward recorded 7 rebounds and distributed 9 assists to teammates.

Leonard was best in crunch time, as he scored 15 of his 35 points as the Raptors sealed the game in the 4th quarter.

Fred VanVleet was also crucial for Toronto, scoring 21 points off of the bench.

The Raptors will have a chance to wrap up the series in Game 6 at home on Saturday night.

The post Kawhi’s 35 Points Lead Raptors Past Bucks in Game 5 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

After seeing Game 1 slipping out of their hands in the final two minutes, Raptors were in danger of allowing that to happen in Game 3 as well. They entered the final minute of the game with a five-point lead but failed to score a single basket since then and allowed Bucks to force overtime. Two teams ended level in the first overtime as well, and only in the second one, Toronto managed to get the badly needed win.

Kawhi Leonard scored game-high 36 points for Toronto Raptors, while Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell added 25 and 19 points respectively. 

“It’s playoff basketball,” – said Leonard after the game. “I want to win. … We’re still here. Nobody wants to go home. We’re going to keep striving to reach that goal. That’s what I pride myself on, both ends of the floor.”

Milwaukee Bucks, on the other side, were led by bench players George Hill with 24 points and Malcolm Brogdon, who provided 20 points. Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, had his worse game in the playoffs, managing to score only 12 points and fouling out of the game.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t have our best game,” – said Antetokounmpo. “But obviously our team is special, and even though their leaders had a bad night, they were able to send this game into double overtime.”

Raptors and Bucks play again on Tuesday night in Toronto.

The post Raptors Hold Off Bucks, Win in Double Overtime Game 3 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Good thing for the Raptors, they have a player named Kawhi Leonard who took care of business.

Leonard hit an incredibly difficult fadeaway jumped over the 76ers’ Joel Embiid as time expired to lift Toronto to a 92-90 Game 7 win. Their victory qualifies the Raptors for a date with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

The Raptors hosted the 76ers in the series finale, and the game lived up to its billing. The two teams fought tooth and nail, with several lead changes occurring throughout the second half of the game.

After Embiid tied up the game at 90 after hitting two free throws with only 12 seconds left on the clock, it was clear the the Raptors wanted to get the ball to Leonard for a final shot.

He got it, he made it, and he sent his team on to the next round.

The Scotiabank Arena went berserk, as Toronto advanced to its second conference finals in franchise history.

There, the Raptors will have a tough task as they look to tame Giannis Antentokoumpo and the 1-seeded Bucks.

The post Kawhi Leonard’s Buzzer-Beater Beats 76ers in Game 7 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“I’m a fun guy, Leonard said with a rare smile in his face. “Obviously, I love the game of basketball.”

Leonard was traded to Toronto in the offseason for Demar DeRozan after his relationship with the Spurs became unbearable. When healthy, the 27-year-old is one of the league’s best players. He was third in the 2016-17 MVP and the 2014-15 defensive player of the year.

Last season, Kawhi suffered a leg injury and stayed in the sidelines for 73 games. Things got worse between him and the Spurs toward the end of the season. He asked out and was traded off to Toronto.

At Monday’s media day, Leonard insisted he is healthy and ready to lead the Raptors for a victory in the Eastern Conference.

“I want to play here, Kawhi said. “As long as I have on a jersey, I want to play basketball. I came here with an open mind.”

Kawhi, who is in the final year of his contract, declined to talk about his future saying,

“If you look toward the future, you’re going to trip over the present.”

Raptors’ new coach Nick Nurse is hopeful Leonard will stay healthy this season and lead them to a conference win.

The post Kawhi Leonard Steps out in Raptors Jersey, Ready for the Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.