Toronto Raptors Hold Milwaukee Bucks off Offensive Glass in Game 5 Win

The Toronto Raptors cleaned up on the defensive end of the floor on the vast majority of misfires from the Milwaukee Bucks, collecting 35-of-37 possible defensive boards.

Milwaukee's two offensive rebounds on the night tied them with six other teams for the second-fewest offensive boards in a playoff game in the 45 years since the stat has been recorded, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com). The Phoenix Suns snagged just one offensive rebound against the Lakers in a 2006 postseason contest, marking the fewest.

Jonas Valanciunas led the way for Toronto, grabbing seven defensive rebounds on the night. Serge Ibaka closely followed him with six and P.J. Tucker contributed with five. Overall, the Raptors out-rebounded the Bucks 40-23 on the night.

The Raptors raced out to an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter and that advantage ballooned to over 20 in the second session. It was shaved to nine by halftime, but the club held a comfortable lead for the majority of the night en route to taking a 3-2 lead in the series.

After falling behind 2-1 in the series prior to Game 4, the Raptors have responded with a huge road win in Milwaukee and a dominating home victory to storm back in control. The two teams head back to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Thursday, with the Raptors looking to close out the series and the Bucks hoping to force a Game 7 back at the Air Canada Centre.