Toronto Raptors Hang Tight to Beat the Milwaukee Bucks and Advance to Second Round

Apr 27, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in game six of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in game six of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Raptors Game 6 versus the Milwaukee Bucks appeared as though it was going to be an easy win, but of course that’s never the case no matter how big your lead is. Luckily, the Raptors pulled it together and held on to beat the Bucks.

The Toronto Raptors were looking, hoping, and anticipating knocking out and eliminating the Bucks in Game 6. In Game 5, Raptors fans were chanting “Raptors in 6,” as they beat the Bucks, 110-93.

Many — and quite possibly the Raptors themselves — were thinking this was going to be an easy win. However, the Bucks weren’t going to let the Raptors trample over them twice.

Raptors Meltdown

During the third quarter of the game, the Raptors were destroying the Bucks with a 25-point lead. The Raptors looked locked in and were owning the Bucks.

It appeared as though this game was decided, but that’s where the table turned. The Bucks were continually scoring, while the Raptors were having trouble getting the ball out of their zone.

The Bucks were getting opportunities on second-chance points. It was quite hard to watch. You could tell the Raptors were panicking and playing sloppy.

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It came to the point where the Raptors blew their 25-point lead, and it looked like all hope was lost. But Demar DeRozan was obviously still hopeful, amped up, and angry.

DeRozan channeled his anger by striding through the Bucks defence and slam dunking the ball, when the Raptors finally got a basket. From this point on the Raptors picked up their game and recaptured the lead.

Cory Joseph got a beautiful three, which was his first basket of the game. The Raptors scared us, but held on to beat the Bucks, 92-89. It was one of the closest games, but the team that deserved to win, won.

According to the Toronto Star, Dwayne Casey had a few words, remarking on the game:

"“We made it hard on ourselves down the stretch but I thought we showed a lot of resiliency down the stretch,” Casey said. “To close out on the road is one of the hardest things to do in the NBA, I don’t care who you are, what team you are, it’s very difficult to do. We lost our composure a bit but we found a way to scratch it through and that’s what good teams do.”"

Next: Noramn Powell is the Raptors' X-Factor

What did you think of the Toronto Raptors’ performance on Thursday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.