Kawhi Leonard Says He's 'Not Afraid of the Moment' After Raptors' Game 5 Win

The pressure didn't get to Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard on Thursday as he scored 35 points to lead his team to a 105-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

After the game, Leonard told reporters that he's "not afraid of the moment" and in fact enjoys it.

Ben Golliver of the Washington Post provided video:

Leonard poured in 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, helping his team outscore the host Bucks 33-24 in the final 12 minutes.

The ex-San Antonio Spur isn't a stranger to the playoff spotlight: He won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP after averaging 17.8 points on 61.2 percent shooting and posted 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in the prior year's championship round.

He's also excelled in this year's postseason and just joined an exclusive list laden with legends, per NBA.com/Stats:

Therefore, his performance shouldn't be surprising, but it's still impressive considering the circumstances. The Bucks led the Raps 18-4 after five minutes and looked like they would easily hold serve on their home court.

However, Toronto settled down thanks largely to Leonard and Fred VanVleet, who hit seven three-pointers. Leonard also provided nine assists, all of which came on three-pointers. Michael Gallagher of Rotoworld reported that the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year therefore contributed to 62 of his team's 105 points, or 59 percent of their scoring output. 

The Raptors will get a chance to advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history when they host the Bucks for Game 6 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. A win would pit the Raps against the Golden State Warriors.