Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Toronto Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Leonard showed no obvious signs of the leg soreness that bothered him the previous two games, hitting the 30-point mark for the fourth time in the series.

After back-to-back losses in Toronto, the Bucks return home for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals looking to snatch back momentum in the series. The Bucks won the first two games, with their bench playing a major role in the team’s success. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer says his team’s bench has to play better if Milwaukee is going to avoid trailing in a series for the first time this postseason.

Kyle Lowry scored 25 points, Kawhi Leonard had 19 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 120-102 to even the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece. Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who improved to 7-2 at home this postseason.

NL MVP Christian Yelich was scratched from Milwaukee’s lineup against Cincinnati on because of back spasms. Yelich leads the major leagues with 19 home runs and is batting .325 with 41 RBIs in 44 games, including 42 starts. He has missed parts of seven games because of back problems. Ben Gamel replaced Yelich in right field.

Kawhi Leonard scores 36, Pascal Siakam has 25 as Raptors beat Bucks 118-112 in double OT, cut conference finals deficit to 2-1

All Milwaukee did in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals was hold serve. And now the Toronto Raptors think it’s their turn to do the same. Down 2-0 in the East title series, the Raptors play host to the Bucks in Game 3 on Sunday night. The Bucks are 10-1 so far in the playoffs and haven’t lost on the road since the end of March.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, Ersan Ilyasova came off the bench to score 17 and the Milwaukee Bucks never trailed on the way to beating the Toronto Raptors 125-103 and taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Christian Yelich hit his major league-leading 17th and 18th homers to help Zach Davies and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-3 Thursday.

When the season started, everyone knew the Eastern Conference would have a new king. LeBron James left Cleveland, having taken his talents to Los Angeles. And even Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t sure who would take his place. He just knew there was an opening – and the Bucks are three wins away from taking full advantage of that opening. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final is Friday night in Milwaukee, where the Bucks will aim to take a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

Brook Lopez scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the final minutes to beat the Toronto Raptors 108-100 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The team that finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record just enough in the final minutes to grab 1-0 series lead.

There’s a big-name superstar on either side: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. There’s a Milwaukee franchise that hasn’t been to the NBA Finals in 45 years, opposite a Toronto franchise that has never been to the title round. The Bucks have a coach who wasn’t there last year; the Raptors have a coach who wasn’t in charge last year. Similarities abound between Milwaukee and Toronto. Over the next couple of weeks, one team will separate itself and reach the NBA Finals.

Willson Contreras homered in the 15th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

The Milwaukee Bucks are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. The standout play of Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a big reason. But the Bucks are getting key contributions from role players like George Hill, Pat Connaughton and Ersan Ilyasova. The Bucks are 8-1 in the playoffs so far and will host the first two games of the East final next week.

Ryan Braun’s career-high sixth hit, a two-run single with one out in the 18th inning, lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 comeback victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night in the longest game in Miller Park history.

Kevin Durant scored 35 points in outdueling James Harden and the Golden State Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 104-100 on Sunday in the opener of what is shaping up to be a sensational best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.

Gio Gonzalez has rejoined the Milwaukee Brewers after finalizing a $2 million, one-year contract, and the veteran left-hander will start Sunday’s series finale against the New York Mets. Gonzalez also played for Milwaukee last season, helping the Brewers win the NL Central and make it to the NL Championship Series after he was acquired in an Aug. 31 trade with Washington.

The Bucks believe they are a very different team from the one that lost to the Celtics in seven games in the first round of the playoffs last season. The teams are back for a rematch, but this time with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals on the line. Both teams are coming off first-round sweeps, but this time its Milwaukee and not Boston that will have home-court advantage.

About 300 men working on a project to electrify the Milwaukee Railroad’s line through Washington were on strike at their job site west of the Columbia River.