As if Sunday’s Game 7 win wasn’t high enough, the Toronto Raptors are now headed to a place they’ve been just once before: the Eastern Conference Finals. They’re set to meet the Milwaukee Bucks, in a matchup of the two teams with the best regular season records in the NBA this season. It’s also, of course, a clash of superstars between the newly minted Toronto hero Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee will enjoy home court advantage in the series, with the first game going at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday. The Raptors open home action for Game 3 on Sunday, May 19. We have plenty more preview content for your feasting eyes coming soon. As usual, the Canadian broadcasts will be split between Sportsnet and TSN — with Sportsnet taking Game 1. American broadcasts will all be on TNT with the team of Marv Albert, Reggie Miller, and Chris Webber. For now, clear your calendars and let’s get this going. Raptors vs. Bucks Eastern Conference Finals Schedule Game 1: Wednesday, May 15 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/Sportsnet Game 2: Friday, May 17 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/TSN Game 3: Sunday, May 19 - 7pm - Scotiabank Arena - TNT/Sportsnet Game 4: Tuesday, May 21 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Arena - TNT/TSN **Game 5: Thursday, May 23 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/TSN **Game 6: Saturday, May 25 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Arena - TNT/Sportsnet **Game 7: Monday, May 27 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/TSN ** if necessary<doc-sep>Thanks to a big fourth quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks take a 1-0 series lead over the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bucks got out to a 1-0 series lead over the Raptors, using a big fourth quarter to take Game 1. Centre Brook Lopez led the way for Milwaukee with a postseason career-high 29 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points to go along with 14 rebounds and six assists. For Toronto, Kawhi Leonard finished with a game-high 31 points while Kyle Lowry added 30 points. If you missed any of the action, check below for stats, updates and highlights from Game 1. Final: Bucks 108, Raptors 100 (Milwaukee leads 1-0) - Toronto gets two opportunities to cut the deficit to one but miss both. On the other end, Eric Bledsoe is fouled and sinks both. Milwaukee leads by one with less than a minute to play. - With the Bucks up one, Brook Lopez knocks down a BIG triple to increase the lead. Timeout Raptors Toronto trails 104-100 with 1:55 remaining in regulation. - Toronto responds once again. A 7-2 run from the Raptors ties things up at 98 and this one could go down to the wire. Timeout on the floor as 3:31 remains in regulation Kyle Lowry is stepping up for Toronto and is now up to a game-high 30 points - 14 have come in the fourth frame. - Milwaukee is trying to pull away! The Bucks have outscored the Raptors 20-8 in the fourth quarter and now lead by five points. Timeout Toronto as it trails 96-91 with 6:32 remaining in regulation. Kawhi Leonard has yet to score in the fourth quarter but Kyle Lowry is now up to 23 points on the game. Brook Lopez has a team-high 24 points for the Bucks while Giannis Antetokounmpo is up to 21 points. - After the Bucks took their first quarter but Kyle Lowry quickly responds with a 3-pointer to put the Raptors back ahead. Timeout on the floor and Toronto leads 86-84 and 9:30 remains in regulation. Third Quarter - Pascal Siakam beats the buzzer with a DEEP 3-pointer to close the third quarter and the Raptors take a seven-point lead into the fourth. It's 83-76 with one quarter to play. Siakam is up to 14 points on the night while Kawhi Leonard scored 14 third-quarter points to bring his total for the game to 29 points. The Bucks are struggling from the field (28-for-75) and from deep (6-for-34) and are led by 21 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo. - Toronto responds with a 13-5 run of its own to get back out to a 10-point lead. It's 74-64 Raptors with 5:22 remaining in the third. Kawhi Leonard is doing it from all three levels and is up to a game-high 23 points to lead the Raptors. Kyle Lowry has added 16 points and is 5-for-8 from the field. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the way for Milwaukee with 17 points but the Bucks are shooting 25-for-64 (39.1%) from the field. - Just three minutes into the second half and the Bucks have used an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to two points. Timeout Raptors as they lead 61-59 with 9:10 left in the third. Halftime: Raptors 59, Bucks 51 - Some halftime stats: https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/fb/80/bucks-raptors-game-1-halftime-stats_123t0pyayqw541jude584ql745.png?t=-1102722278&w=500 - Toronto puts forth a solid half of basketball and takes an eight-point lead into the break. Kawhi Leonard leads the way with a game-high 15 points while Pascal Siakam has added 11 points. Kyle Lowry has nine points (on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc) while Marc Gasol has added six points and eight rebounds. Toronto's bench contributed 12 points in the first half, giving the team a big boost. For Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo (13 points, nine rebounds) and Brook Lopez (12 points) lead the starters while George Hill has 11 points off the bench. - Pascal Siakam wrangles a loose ball and calls for a timeout. 3:10 remains in the second quarter and Toronto leads 50-42. Siakam leads the way for the Raptors with 11 points on the night while Brook Lopez leads the Bucks with a game-high 12. - A Brook Lopez 3-pointer makes it a 9-2 run for the Bucks, who have cut the deficit down to five points Lopez is up to a game-high 11 points. Timeout Raptors with 6:28 remaining in the half. - Norman Powell picks up where the Raptors left off in the first frame, sinking two triples to get on the board early on in the second. Toronto is now up 40-28 and Mike Budenholzer calls for time with 8:43 remaining in the half. The Raptors are now shooting 8-for-18 from beyond the arc while the Bucks are shooting just 4-for-18. End of First Quarter: Raptors 34, Bucks 23 - Serge Ibaka closes the first quarter with a buzzer-beating jumper to give Toronto an 11-point lead after one. The Raptors close the quarter shooting 13-for-25 (52%) from the field while holding the Bucks to 9-for-27 (33.3%) shooting. Both Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam led the way for Toronto with nine points apiece while Marc Gasol dished out two assists and grabbed four rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the way for Milwaukee with nine points of his own. - Toronto is firing on all cylinders early on! After struggling to shoot from the perimeter in the conference semifinals, the Raptors are 6-for-11 from deep early on and lead 24-13. Timeout on the floor with 4:04 remaining in the first. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads all scorers with nine of Milwaukee's 13 points while Kawhi Leonard leads the Raptors with seven points. - Just under four minutes have passed in the first quarter and the Raptors have taken an early 11-8 lead thanks to Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam. Lowry has knocked down two triples while Siakam has hit a triple and a mid-range jumper for all of Toronto's 11 points. Timeout Bucks with 8:06 remaining in the first. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with six early points. 🚨 First Giannis dunk of the ECF 🚨#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/pgCLDYjB7t - Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 16, 2019<doc-sep>It all almost seems predestined, didn’t it? From the time the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks clashed as unbeaten foes just seven games into the season, these two squads have reigned supreme atop the battle for supremacy in LeBron James’s wake. And what a battle it will be. Each squad is led by top-five players in the world in Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo and flanked by a parade of supporting characters that people wouldn’t deem superstars. In fact, the similarities are pretty interesting when you dive deep into it, considering the large majority of their rosters is comprised of late picks or guys coming in off the scrap heap. We’ll have plenty to say about this series in the run-up to Wednesday, but for now, let’s run through when we’ll be able to tune in. As a reminder, all games will be broadcast on TNT or streaming online at TNTDrama.com or via the TNT app. Game 1 - Wed. May 15 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 Game 2 - Fri. May 17 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 Game 3 - Sun. May 19 Venue - Scotiabank Arena - Scotiabank Arena Tipoff - 6:00 Game 4 - Tue. May 21 Venue - Scotiabank Arena - Scotiabank Arena Tipoff - 7:30 Game 5 (If necessary) - Thu. May 23 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 Game 6 (If necessary) - Sat. May 25 Venue - Scotiabank Arena - Scotiabank Arena Tipoff - 7:30 Game 7 (If necessary) - Mon. May 27 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 So there it is. Seven (potential) games to decide who will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Wednesday can’t come quickly enough.<doc-sep>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<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.