The story before Raptors-Bucks Game 5 was centred around Kyle Lowry: how was his back feeling? How effective would he be? Could the Raptors survive with him at less than 100 percent? It was a concern. But instead of showing worry, the rest of the Raptors squad showed support. The end result: a 118-83 victory over the Bucks with enough stories to drown out the Lowry anxiety, and propel the Raptors to a 3-2 series lead.
Let’s begin with the obvious highlight: Norman Powell. Despite playing no meaningful minutes in the series’ opening three games, Powell came into Game 5 as the Raptors secret weapon.