Raptors' Norman Powell has career night in Game 5 rout of Bucks

TORONTO – Norman Powell was a game changer for the Toronto Raptors in Monday's Game 5 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring a career playoff-high 25 points in a lopsided 118-93 victory.

In just his second year in the NBA, Powell is rapidly becoming an all-around force for the Raptors. The playoffs are the perfect place for players to step up with breakthrough showings, and Powell's fingerprints were left all over the winning performance at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, which put the Raptors up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference opening round series.

"He's that spark plug," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. "He's the guy, he's an X-factor. So many times you're concerned about DeMar (DeRozan), Kyle (Lowry) – and rightfully so – that the next spark plug, the next guy, the next instigator, is the guy.

"In this series (Powell has) been that X-factor," he continued. "The next series, maybe the next game, it may be a different story. But he's done an excellent job of playing off those two and taking what the game has given him."

Powell, who the Raptors selected with the 46th overall pick (received from the Bucks in a trade) in the 2015 NBA draft out of UCLA, has developed at a promising rate throughout the course of his two seasons as a Raptor. His athleticism, defensive prowess and dunking ability has quickly turned him into a fan favorite in "The Six."

Casey praised Powell for approaching his career in the right way and said the current results are what he hoped would come when the 23-year-old first landed on his radar several years ago.

"Our scouts did a great job," Casey said. "I remember his workout, I think it was on a Saturday morning. He came in and just was a very physical and tough kid. We needed toughness and he's the kind of player that can play in a playoff type game. Just his mental toughness, his physical toughness and he's a great example of a four-year young man who went through college. He's got his life together on and off the floor."

Powell's Game 5 showing, which included four rebounds, four assists and three steals on top of his team-high scoring total, was arguably the best of his 146 regular season and playoff games in a Raptors uniform.

The level of Powell's play may have come as a surprise given the stakes and stage of the game. However, one person who wasn't surprised was Powell himself, who said his play on Monday was exactly what he prepares so hard to do each day in practice.

"For me it's all about just preparing myself," Powell said. "Setting expectations, setting a goal for me and not stopping until I reach it. I give myself up for the team trying every day to get better. Whether it's coming off the bench, cheering for Kyle or DeMar with the guys on the floor, going in there and making the hustle plays, focusing on defense, pushing the ball in transition – it's all about giving myself up for the team and personally just trying to accomplish the things I've set out for myself."

After a 27-point loss to the Bucks in Game 3 created concerns for Raptors supporters, the team rallied in a big way with back-to-back victories to gain the advantage in the series. The chance to eliminate the Bucks and advance to a second-round matchup with the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers will be on the line Thursday when Game 6 goes down at Milwaukee's BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said allowing Powell to play similarly to how he did in Game 5 will almost surely result in elimination for his team. Because of that, he said neutralizing Powell and finding "the guy" on his own roster is necessary if the Bucks want to force a winner-takes-all Game 7 situation.

"I think Powell's come in with a lot of energy on both sides of the ball – they're feeding off of that," Kidd said. "He's playing at a very high level for those guys right now. When you look at the stat sheet, he's picked them up in the last few games just with his energy and his spirit. Somehow we have to match that, we have to match that spirit, to give us a chance."

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