NBA: DeRozan recovers as Raptors beat Bucks to level series

Milwaukee Bucks’ Greg Monroe runs into Toronto Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA first-round playoff series basketball game Saturday, April 22, 2017, in Milwaukee. The Raptors won 87-76 to tie the series 2-2. AP 

LOS ANGELES, United States — DeMar DeRozan, held scoreless from the floor a game earlier, struck for 33 points and nine rebounds to lead Toronto over Milwaukee 87-76 in an NBA playoff game Saturday.

The visiting Raptors pulled level with Milwaukee at 2-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series, which continues Monday in Toronto.

The series winner faces a second-round matchup against either defending NBA champion Cleveland or Indiana.

DeRozan had a slam dunk and two key assists in a 12-2 run late in the third quarter that put the Raptors ahead 64-55 and they never trailed again.

“We were aggressive on both ends,” DeRozan said. “We got stops when we needed to, were aggressive when we needed to be and we kept it up for 48 minutes.”

After missing all eight shots of his shots from the field and managing only eight points in a 104-77 game-three loss, DeRozan hit 12-of-22 from the floor and 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

“It won’t happen twice,” DeRozan said of going scoreless from the floor. “It will never happen twice.”

Kyle Lowry added 18 points while Serge Ibaka had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who shot only 41 percent from the floor but kept the Bucks to just 37 percent.

Tony Snell led Milwaukee with 19 points. CBB