Raptors vs. Bucks: Schedule, time, TV channel Date Matchup Time (TV channel) May 15 Game 1 at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) May 17 Game 2 at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) May 19 Game 3 at Toronto 7 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) May 21 Game 4 at Toronto 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) May 23* Game 5 at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) May 25* Game 6 at Toronto 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) May 27* Game 7 at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT/fuboTV) (*if necessary) MORE: Watch Bucks vs. Raptors live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Raptors vs. Bucks: The backstory I covered the 2001 playoffs, the last time the Bucks made the conference finals, and the notion of these two teams facing off brings a tear to my eye. I can still remember Vince Carter’s potential game-winning 20-footer bouncing awry in Game 7 of the East semis against Philadelphia, giving the series to the Sixers and leaving the Raptors fans in a stunned playoff silence that has pretty much lasted two decades now. Toronto made one hopeful trip back to the conference finals, in 2016, and gave one of their best postseason fights, losing to Cleveland in six games rather than the usual four. Milwaukee has not been to the conference finals since that 2001 trip, which was sullied by accusations that the NBA refs had tilted the games toward Allen Iverson and the Sixers, their East Coast numbers believed to be better for ratings. Regardless, these are two teams, guided by new coaches — rookie Nick Nurse for Toronto and likely Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer for the Bucks — without much recent history of success in the NBA playoffs. But one of these teams will be in the NBA Finals and likely face a shaky Western Conference foe. For both, it has been a long time — for Toronto, in fact, a Finals trip has never happened, and for the Bucks, the wait stretches back to 1974. However this series turns, the NBA will get something refreshing out of the deal: A Finals participant that has not had a spot in the league’s biggest showcase in 45 years. Or ever, for that matter. LIVE: Today's NBA scores, updates, TV schedule Raptors vs. Bucks: The key players Sure, it will be star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo getting the marquee attention for this one. But it will be their first mates — each of whom guards the opposing team’s star — who determine how this series will go. For Milwaukee, that means Khris Middleton, who is rolling through another impressive postseason. He is averaging 19.1 points and shooting 46.7 percent on 3-pointers, while also posting 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He was a defensive ace in the series against Boston, the primary defender on two of the Celtics who struggled badly, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward. Middleton had success defending Leonard in the regular season. In three matchups against Leonard, Middleton faced him an average of 47.7 possessions, allowing only 12.0 points on 40.7 percent shooting from the field. Middleton will have help, of course, but he will get the primary draw on Leonard, and he’s got a good track record in a limited number of games. On the other side, it will be Pascal Siakam, who has been a consistent secondary weapon for Toronto as veterans Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol have struggled. Siakam has averaged more than 20 points per game in the playoffs, and the Raptors will need that consistent scoring against Milwaukee. But Siakam will also get the prime matchup against Antetokounmpo, who dominated the Raptors in the three games he faced them this season. Antetokounmpo averaged 27.0 points, 15.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists against Toronto, shooting 58.5 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the 3-point line. Siakam was not the only defender on him, but he had his hands full — Antetokounmpo shot 64.7 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the 3-point line when guarded by Siakam in those three games. (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/50/36/khris-middleton-getty-112118-ftrjpg_1okjnd8uz10tc1v4w7zt0ppkay.jpg?t=922074095&w=500&quality=80 Raptors vs. Bucks: The big number 4.5. It’s easy to overlook the Bucks’ bench when you’ve got Antetokounmpo on the roster, but Milwaukee’s reserves have played 19.1 minutes in the playoffs, fourth-most among the 16 teams, and have been a plus-4.5 through nine games. While Antetokounmpo’s preparedness to lead a team to a championship was a question leading into the playoffs, whether the Bucks’ supporting cast was up to that task was also a question. Thus far, they’ve proven their muster. That was evident in the crucial Game 4 win in Boston, when Antetokounmpo went out with foul trouble in a tied game with 8:18 left in the third quarter. The Bucks responded with a 19-9 run, mostly led by George Hill and Pat Connaughton. Toronto’s bench has been subpar in the playoffs. The reserves could give the Bucks a big advantage. Raptors vs. Bucks: Xs and Os After the Celtics’ Kyrie Irving laid 26 points (12-for-21 shooting) on the Bucks in the conference semifinal opener, Budenholzer did something rare for him — he made a defensive adjustment by having his team switch off screens, even if it left Irving with a mismatch. The Bucks provided enough help in the paint to keep Irving honest, and for the rest of the series, he struggled badly, going 25-for-83 from the field in Games 2-5. Leonard presents a different problem than Irving because you need to do more than just keep him away from the rim. He is capable of finishing at the basket, but he can also hit jumpers from 10-16 feet and 16 feet out to the 3-point line. Clogging the paint won’t be enough against Leonard. Middleton has had success defending him, but Leonard has been a different player in this postseason. Budenholzer might go back to not switching defensively, but you have to wonder whether he will also call for double-team help on Leonard if he starts figuring out Middleton’s approach. NBA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: Trail Blazers vs. Warriors Raptors vs. Bucks: The prediction Especially after Game 1 in Milwaukee, it looked like all the fears about that team’s roster were coming to fruition. The Bucks had trouble with strong individual scorers. They don’t switch enough on screens. They don’t adjust enough defensively. That’s all been erased. The Bucks have had the kind of bench depth, the kind of defense, the kind of perimeter shooting that allows them to carry on in the postseason. Not sure the Raptors have that, even with Leonard firing on all cylinders. If the Raptors can slow the pace, as they did against the Sixers, the series swings in their favor. But the Bucks are not an easy out. Bucks over Raptors, 4-2<doc-sep>The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and second-seeded Toronto Raptors respectively took care of business against the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA playoffs. This marks Toronto’s second Eastern Conference finals appearance in four years and the first for Milwaukee since 2001. The two teams last met in the 2017 playoffs, when the Raptors beat the Bucks in six games. How they got here Milwaukee: Faced with their first real test after posting the NBA’s best record and net rating (plus-8.6) during the regular season, the Bucks passed with flying colors, save for a Game 1 hiccup against the Celtics. Milwaukee won the final four games of the conference semifinals in dominating fashion, trampling a Boston team that packed it in and left everyone wondering how much of a test the series really was. Make no mistake, though, the Bucks are a vastly different team than the one that lost first-round series to the Raptors and Celtics the previous two seasons. The top of their rotation may look largely the same, but Milwaukee’s front office spent the past year filling out the roster in an attempt to maximize Giannis Antetokounmpo. Floor-spacing bigs Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic ensure new coach Mike Budenholzer can spread shooters at every position and make room for Giannis’ relentless rim attacks. The Bucks went from 26 3-point attempts per game in last year’s postseason (14th among 16 playoff teams) to 38 on this run (second only to the Houston Rockets). They own the East’s best playoff offense by a wide margin — almost five points per 100 possessions better than the Raptors — as a result. They also own the conference’s top defensive rating this postseason over Toronto, thanks in part to facing a hapless Detroit Pistons team in the first round. The philosophy that led Milwaukee to attempt fewer long jump shots this season is the same one they use to funnel opponents into those same shots. They have more length than just Giannis’ sprawling arms to both protect the rim and challenge 3-pointers. Their discipline in all facets is remarkably improved from last season. Story continues Even more surprising is the emergence of George Hill and Pat Connaughton as reliable reserves. Hill has loads of playoff experience, but his most recent run with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year suggested his best days were behind him, and Connaughton was forced into action by the absence of Malcolm Brogdon, who missed the first four games of the Boston series with a plantar fascia tear. Brogdon returned in limited minutes for Game 5 against the Celtics, but that still didn’t stop Hill and Connaughton from combining for 23 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. Add it all up — Antetokounmpo’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year campaign, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe’s All-Star-worthy turns and a supporting cast that is rounding into form at the perfect time — and the Bucks are 8-1 through two rounds, looking more like LeBron James’ Cavs than a first-time conference finalist. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard will battle for Eastern Conference supremacy in more ways than one. (Getty Images) Toronto: When LeBron left for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors thought they were rid of unstoppable forces on teams built to weaponize their potential, but now they must contend with Antetokounmpo. This time, though, they come equipped with their own freakish superstar and a roster suited to handle just about anything. Kawhi Leonard has been the NBA’s most consistently great playoff performer this season, averaging 32 points on 54/41/87 shooting splits. His incredible Game 7 winner against the Sixers embodied every reason Toronto traded franchise favorite DeMar Derozan for him this past summer. The free agent to be was worth the risk. The rise of fellow rangy forward Pascal Siakam as a bona fide playmaker has made Kyle Lowry’s customary playoff fall from grace easier for the Raptors to swallow, even if Siakam shied from Sunday’s Game 7 moment, too. The Leonard-Siakam pairing also forms the foundation of a defense that switches and stifles everything. How Toronto survived the Sixers with super-sub Fred VanVleet shooting so poorly and without OG Anunoby, another versatile swingman whose emergency appendectomy cost him the series, is a testament to how much weight Leonard and Siakam have carried. The downturn of Toronto’s bench, save for the occasional Serge Ibaka breakout, has been as surprising as the Milwaukee bench’s uptick. Let’s not mistake a tough collective turn for their reserves as a depth problem for the Raptors. They also added stud center Marc Gasol, another former Defensive Player of the Year who all but erased Sixers star Joel Embiid from the playoffs, and 3-and-D wing Danny Green, whose résumé includes the 2014 NBA championship. Like the Bucks, the Raptors installed a new coach this season. The stylistic changes have not been as dramatic, but the result has been the same. Toronto and Milwaukee were the only two teams to rank among the NBA’s best five offenses and defenses during the regular season, and they are the owners of the league’s two best net ratings through the first two rounds of the playoffs. It helps that Toronto played the Orlando Magic in the opening round, but the Sixers were no joke, even if the Raptors made Embiid and Ben Simmons look like one at times. Head to head The Bucks won the regular-season series with the Raptors, 3-1, although all four games came before the trade deadline, when Milwaukee added Mirotic and Toronto acquired Gasol, and the first meeting featured neither Antetokounmpo nor Leonard. Throw out the Oct. 29 meeting, when Giannis had a concussion, Kawhi rested and Ersan Ilyasova was Milwaukee’s leading scorer in a 124-109 victory. Only one game came down to the final minute — a Dec. 9 defensive battle in which nobody was especially sharp and the Bucks emerged victorious on a couple late Brogdon 3’s. Games 3 and 4 were not close, with each team winning decisively on the road. Antetokounmpo won the statistical battle in their three games opposite Leonard, averaging an efficient 27 points (66.0 true shooting percentage), 15.3 rebounds, five assists and 2.7 combined steals/blocks over the three games. Leonard was far less consistent than he has been in the playoffs, averaging 22 points (52.2 true shooting percentage), 7.7 rebounds, four assists and four combined steals/blocks per outing. A few more interesting wrinkles to consider from the four head-to-head meetings: • Lowry missed Toronto’s only win and was pretty bad in the three losses, shooting 7-of-30 from the field and 1-for-20 from distance against the Bucks this season. • Ibaka started all four games and was mostly great, averaging 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, three assists and 2.8 combined blocks/steals while finishing a plus-23. • Middleton and Siakam, the two co-stars, were both consistently good. Khris Middleton and Pascal Siakam are a pair of unlikely but underrated co-stars. (AP) Likely starting lineups Nurse has largely stuck with the same starting lineup since swapping Ibaka out for Gasol in the five-man unit that features Lowry, Green, Leonard and Siakam. That group played only 161 post-trade minutes over 14 games together during the regular season, outscoring opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions. They played another 233 minutes together in the first two rounds of the playoffs, outscoring the Magic and Sixers by an impressive 94 points in that span. Of all the other five-man groupings in the playoffs, only Philadelphia’s starters were better than plus-55, which means Toronto’s best five is really freaking good together. Of interest is also Ibaka’s impact thus far in the playoffs. The Raptors have been just as dominant, if not more, both with him in place of Gasol in the starting group or in a small-ball lineup of Lowry, VanVleet, Norman Powell and Leonard. Whether Nurse considers reinserting Ibaka into the starting lineup will likely depend on how effective Gasol is in challenging Lopez while still helping on Giannis in the middle. Milwaukee’s starting unit has been more in flux. Brogdon missed the entirety of the playoffs until returning to play 17 minutes off the bench in the close-out Game 5 against Boston. He looked OK for someone who had not played in two months, and with a few more days of rest, the third-year guard could return to a starting lineup that has seen Sterling Brown and Mirotic take his place depending on matchups. The Bucks outscored opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions in nearly 600 minutes with Brogdon in a starting lineup that featured mainstays Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Bledsoe and Lopez during the regular season. That unit started three games against the Raptors this season and finished plus-nine in 33 minutes. After the Celtics blew them out in Game 1, Budenholzer inserted Mirotic into his starting lineup with Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Bledsoe and Lopez. The Bucks won their next four games, but that grouping was actually outscored by a point over 39 minutes against Boston. Mirotic has not faced Toronto while with the Bucks, but it is hard to imagine him chasing Leonard, Siakam or Green defensively, so the guess is that Brogdon will be back with the starting lineup as soon as possible. Matchups to watch Giannis vs. Kawhi: The two superstars rarely defended each other during the regular season. Those responsibilities largely fell on Siakam and Middleton, respectively, although Antetokounmpo and Leonard guarded each other well in limited possessions. Regardless, this matchup is more of a challenge to determine which player rules the East. They are heads and shoulders above anyone else in the conference, both offensively and defensively, and it is hard to imagine either team winning the series without its star player rising to claim the throne left by LeBron. Middleton vs. Siakam: Not only will they draw defensive time against Kawhi and Giannis, but their teams will be counting on their offense to overcome what expects to be a defensive battle. During the regular season, Middleton shot better than 40 percent from 3 in Milwaukee’s wins and closer to 30 percent in losses. Siakam’s splits were closer to even, but he will likely see a lot of Antetokounmpo defensively. The Cameroonian scored 32 points on 11-for-17 shooting in 116 possessions against Giannis during the regular season, and the Raptors still lost the season series. Can he continue to work that matchup? He may need to if Middleton shines. Bledsoe vs. Lowry: These are the most straightforward of matchups, but it might be that simple in this series: Whichever team’s best three players perform better, regardless of who is matched up with whom, should win. Gasol might work Lopez, Green could outshoot Brogdon and VanVleet may heat up quicker than Hill, but none of it will matter if Milwaukee’s best three outperform Toronto’s top trio. For the record, Bledsoe held Lowry scoreless on 122 possessions in the regular season. How Milwaukee can win Antetokounmpo stakes his claim as the baddest beast in the East — and maybe even as the most formidable force in the entire NBA. Middleton and Bledsoe don’t lose focus in their first conference finals appearances. Brogdon gets healthy. Lopez and Mirotic don’t get played off the floor against Toronto’s more athletic lineups. They all shoot and defend like hell. This has worked for the Bucks all season, but it’s never easy for teams to make the leap from first-round fodder to the Finals. How Toronto can win Leonard continues his methodic march through these playoffs, performing like the two-way tyrant who seemed poise to dethrone the Golden State Warriors by himself before turning his ankle in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals. Siakam meets the moment in his first trip this deep in the playoffs, and Lowry doesn’t cower in the face of mounting playoff and defensive pressure. Toronto’s bench rounds into form. And Nurse pulls the right strings to find Gasol and Ibaka favorable matchups. As good as the Bucks have been, it just feels like the Raptors should win if everyone on both teams plays the way they are capable of playing. Prediction: Raptors in seven. Western Conference finals preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers – – – – – – – Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports.<doc-sep>
They took slightly different paths, but the East's top two teams are now set to meet in the Conference Finals as many expected all season. It's the first time these two franchises will meet in the postseason since 2017. With both the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks taking care of business in the second round of the playoffs, the Eastern Conference Finals is now set. NBA.com is your destination for complete coverage of every series from now through the end of the NBA Finals. Series Schedule Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals will take place in Milwaukee at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. Game 1 - Wednesday, May 15 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: SN1/E/O/W/P Game 2 - Friday, May 17 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Game 3 - Sunday, May 19 at Toronto, Time: 7:00 p.m.; TV: SN1/E/O/W/P Game 4 - Tuesday, May 21 at Toronto, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Game 5 (if necessary) - Thursday, May 23 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Game 6 (if necessary) - Saturday, May 25 at Toronto, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: SN1/E/O/W/P Game 7 (if necessary) - Monday, May 27 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Recapping the Season Series Result: Bucks won 3-1 Best game: Jan. 5, 2019 - Raptors 123, Bucks 116 Best performance: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jan. 5, 2019) - 43 points (16-25 FG), 18 rebounds, four assists and one steal The first meeting between the Raptors and Bucks this season came early when both teams were a perfect 6-0. Giannis Antetokounmpo (concussion) and Kawhi Leonard (rest) missed the game, and Milwaukee cruised to a 124-109 win behind a balanced effort that saw seven players score in double figures. Serge Ibaka led the Raptors in scoring that night with 30 points and Pascal Siakam chipped in with 22 points. The second meeting was much closer but the end result was the same. Behind a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double from Antetokounmpo, the Bucks defeated the Raptors in Toronto, 104-99. Kyle Lowry struggled in the loss, going scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting from the field. The Raptors picked up their lone win against the Bucks on Jan. 5 in what turned out to be the best game between the two teams this season. Leonard and Siakam led the Raptors in scoring with 30 points each, but they got a scoring punch out of Ibaka (25), Danny Green (12) and Fred VanVleet (21), the latter of whom started in place of Lowry, who was dealing with a back injury. The five of them helped Toronto overcome 43 points, 18 rebounds and four assists from Antetokounmpo to beat the Bucks, 123-116. The Bucks got some revenge in the final game of the season, winning by a final score of 105-92 at the Scotiabank Arena. It was a team effort once again, as seven players scored in double figures, including D.J. Wilson (16) and George Hill (10) off the bench. Key Storyline: Can the Raptors contain Giannis Antetokounmpo? The Raptors will have their hands full trying to slow down Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 27.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in these playoffs. The Bucks have built a team around Antetokounmpo that plays perfectly to his strengths, surrounding him with shooters to give him the space he needs to attack the paint, where he led the league in scoring this season. Antetokounmpo is a matchup nightmare for every team because he's too big and strong for perimeter players to guard and too quick and athletic for big men to stay in front of. Double-teaming him is risky as well. Not only is Antetokounmpo a capable passer, the Bucks made and attempted the second-most 3-pointers in the league this season, trailing only the Houston Rockets. Every player on Milwaukee's roster is comfortable shooting 3-pointers, even Brook Lopez, who set the record for 3s made by a centre during the regular season. So who on the Raptors will take on the responsibility of defending Antetokounmpo? According to NBA.com, Siakam matched up with the MVP candidate the most this season, followed by Leonard, Ibaka and OG Anunoby.