Khris Middleton called teammate Brook Lopez "a beast" after he inspired the Bucks' comeback against the Raptors in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
Lopez scored 13 of his 29 points in the final quarter as the Bucks rallied Wednesday to draw first blood at Fiserv Forum.
The Raptors led by seven points at the end of the third quarter, and Middleton saluted Lopez for stepping up under pressure after the center played a huge part in a 108-100 victory.
"He was huge, he was a beast." said forward Middleton.
"Inside the paint, he made some big plays for us. And in the defense he covers up so many of our mistakes. He was huge, without him we definitely would not have got the win."
MVP.#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/LL7JXAZyG6
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 16, 2019
Milwaukee's Eric Bledsoe expects the Raptors to produce a positive response to falling behind in the series when the two sides play Game 2 on Saturday.
"We definitely know they are going to come back with a strong game plan, we've just got to adapt and take it a game at a time," Bledsoe said.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the manner of the Bucks' victory will benefit the team for the rest of the series.
"I think we need games like this, because not every game is going to be a blowout," Antetokounmpo said. "Not every game is going to be easy. And I think this game definitely made us better."