Two pivotal Game 6’s were played on Thursday as the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks squared off along with the San Antonio Spurs going head-to-head with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Both the Raptors and Spurs were able to secure road victories to close out their series. Neither the Spurs or the Raptors wanted to face elimination games as the potential matchups with the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers loomed on the horizon.
Game 6: Toronto Raptors @ Milwaukee Bucks (Raptors win series, 4-2)
The Raptors held on for a 92-89 victory against the Bucks after nearly blowing a 25-point lead. DeMar DeRozan led the team with 32 points and five steals. Kyle Lowry helped chip in with 13 points and four assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo helped spark the Bucks comeback bid finishing with 34 points.
The Bucks eventually took an 80-78 lead when Jason Terry connected on a late three-pointer in the third quarter. Both teams were neck and neck until Cory Joseph’s three-pointer with a minute and a half left put Toronto up for good. Milwaukee did not help themselves from the free throw line as they finished 9-of-18 in the fourth quarter alone.
The win gave the Raptors their first Game 6 win since 2001 and a matchup with the Cavaliers in the second round. That series is set to begin Monday in Cleveland.
Game 6: San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies (Spurs win series, 4-2)
The Spurs closed out their series against the Grizzlies with a 103-96 victory in Memphis. San Antonio was led by the combo of Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker. Leonard finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and four assists while Parker finished with 27 points, which is his most scored since 2014.
Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 26 points, and Marc Gasol chipped in with 18 points and six assists. The Spurs outrebounded the Grizzlies 46-28, including 16 offensive rebounds that helped lead to 17 second-chance points.
Memphis was up by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but San Antonio used a 13-3 run to help take a 75-74 lead into the final period. The win comes at a good time for the Spurs as they now have a second-round matchup with the fast-paced Rockets, which is set to begin Monday night in San Antonio.
