Warriors to Face Raptors in NBA Finals With Bucks Eliminated in Game 6

The Warriors' road to a third straight NBA championship runs through The Six. 

Golden State will square off with the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday at Scotiabank Arena, thanks to Toronto's 100-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Saturday night's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

The Raptors trailed two-games-to-none in the best-of-seven series, but advanced to the first Finals in franchise history after winning four straight games. Toronto trailed by as many as 15 points in the third quarter Saturday, but outscored Milwaukee 29-18 in the fourth. 

The Warriors lost both regular-season matchups with the Raptors, and Toronto was without two-way superstar Kawhi Leonard in a 113-93 win over Golden State on Dec. 12. But the teams have not faced one another in over five months, and DeMarcus Cousins did not play in either of those games.

Golden State's center could return in time for Game 1 of the Finals after injuring his quad in Game 2 of the Warriors' NBA playoff first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers. Kevin Durant, meanwhile, has not been cleared to resume on-court activities. 

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The Raptors are dealing with injuries themselves, with stars Kawhi Leonard (quad) and Kyle Lowry (thumb) playing through pain during the postseason. But, just like the Warriors, Toronto won four straight games to reach the Finals. 

Toronto very well might be a better matchup for Golden State than Milwaukee would've been, but we'll learn one way or another when Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday night at 6 p.m. PT. 

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