Celtics and Raptors Headed to Game 7 After Double-OT Thriller

The Clippers beat the Nuggets 96-85 to take a 3-1 series lead in Wednesday's other game

Celtics and Raptors Headed to Game 7 After Double-OT Thriller
Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors shoots against Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics.
Getty Images

After surviving a double-overtime thriller in the NBA bubble on Wednesday night, the defending league champs will live to play at least one more day.

Trailing for much of the night including during the fourth quarter, the Toronto Raptors overcame deficits in the first and second OT to beat the Boston Celtics 125-122 in Game 6 of their series to even things up at three games apiece.

Now, the two teams will head to a decisive Game 7 on Friday night to determine who will take on the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

Fred VanVleet scored 21 points for the Raptors, Norman Powell had 23 and Kyle Lowry scored 33, with his final bucket coming on an acrobatic jumper with 11.7 seconds left in the second overtime.

Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 16 rebounds for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists and Marcus Smart triple-doubled with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

“We had a lot of opportunities down the stretch and we didn’t take care of the all as good as we needed to,” Brown said. “That’s fine. We’re heading into a Game 7. We feel good about ourselves.”

The Celtics are 23-9 all-time in Game 7s, while the Raptors are 3-2.

In Wednesday night’s other game, the Clippers beat the Nuggets 96-85 to take a 3-1 series lead. Kawhi Leonard had 30 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two blocked shots for the winners, the sixth time he’s scored 30 or more points this postseason.

Los Angeles will have a chance to close things out on Friday night, while Denver will hope to extend the series for at least one more game. If LA wins and advances, it will be the Clippers’ first-ever trip to the Western Conference finals.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do still,” Leonard said. “We’re still fighting.”

The NBA playoffs will roll on Thursday night with the Rockets taking on the Lakers trailing 2-1 in their best-of-seven series out West. In the East, the Heat await the winner of Celtics-Raptors.

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