SUMMARY
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Kyle Lowry unleashed 33 points and Norman Powell added 23 off the bench as defending champion Toronto bagged a series-levelling 125-122 double overtime victory over Boston in the NBA playoffs on Wednesday, September 9 (Thursday, September 10, Philippine time).
An emotional thriller that resembled the intensity of a heavyweight boxing matchup saw the Raptors sustain their repeat hopes and pull level 3-3 in the Eastern Conference semifinal with a winner-take-all Game 7 set for Friday.
The winner advances to an Eastern Conference final showdown against Miami.
“Just winning,” an exhausted Lowry said after playing 53 minutes. “That was two hard teams playing hard. We had to win the game. Win or go home.
“Get it done. Don’t matter who has to do it. Ready for Game 7.”
Powell made a steal and fast break layup plus a free throw to lift Toronto ahead, 121-117, with 38 seconds remaining.
“I was just really focused on the defensive end and let that spill over to the other end,” Powell said.
“I pride myself on making winning plays. The game called on me to be aggressive and that’s what I did. It’s what I play for. It’s what I pride myself in playing for.”
Jayson Tatum answered with an inside jumper but Lowry hit a fall-away jumper – Toronto’s sixth successful shot in a row – to put Toronto ahead 123-119.
Tatum sank a three-pointer to pull Boston within a point with 6.2 seconds remaining but Powell sank two free throws and Marcus Smart missed a last-chance three-pointer for Boston.
“We didn’t play as poised as we needed to down the stretch,” said Boston’s Jaylen Brown. “We didn’t take care of the ball as well as we needed to. We had some turnovers that just killed us.
“Got to embrace the challenge. This is what adversity is about. We have to give everything for Game 7.”
Brown scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Boston while Tatum had 29 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists and Smart managed only his second carer triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
“It was a hard-played tough game. Could have gone either way,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “Great basketball game. Right now, put some ice on your legs and get ready for Friday.”
The Raptors won their first NBA crown last season but NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard left in the off-season for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Fred VanVleet added 21 points for Toronto and German center Daniel Theis had 18 points for Boston.
“They are defending champs. We’ll get their best every time,” Boston’s Kemba Walker said. “We fought hard. We made plays. I’m confident. We have a good group of guys. I know we will respond.
“We have to find a way.”
Teams exchanged emotional words as they departed the court, cooler heads preventing more as intensity nearly bubbled over before Friday’s decider.
“A lot of emotions and things like that swirling,” Brown said. “It’s an intense series. It’s a lot of testosterone. Things like that happen. Grown men should be able to keep it respectable.”
The Raptors won their first NBA crown last season but NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard left in the off-season for the Los Angeles Clippers, who are playing the Denver Nuggets in the other Western Conference semifinal series.
That ‘other’ guy
A Theis dunk lifted the Celtics level at 98-98 with two minutes remaining in regulation time.
Toronto’s Pascal Siakam and Walker each missed inside shots in the dying seconds and Siakam missed a desperation 3-point heave at the buzzer, setting up overtime.
Walker hit a jumper to give the Celtics a 104-101 lead, but Powell sank a left corner three-pointer to tie the game, then made two free throws with 92 seconds remaining in overtime to give Toronto a 106-104 edge.
“Playoffs are always about that ‘other’ guy,” Lowry said. “Coach rolled with Norman and he came up big.”
Tatum sank two free throws to tie the game with 18.9 seconds remaining in overtime and Powell missed a final 3-pointer to force double overtime.
Celtics trainers were working with injured playmaker Gordon Hayward, who has re-completed quarantine in the COVID-19 bubble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but remains out indefinitely with a right ankle sprain. – Rappler.com
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