With the Raptors on the verge of falling into an 0-3 hole against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night with a half-second remaining on the clock, Toronto needed a miracle.
They got one, courtesy of Kyle Lowry and OG Anunoby.
Lowry threaded a cross-court pass directly into Anunoby’s hands and he was able to raise up and drain a 3-pointer as time expired, giving the Raptors a 104-103 win over the Celtics.
“The pass was nothing,” Lowry said. “OG made the shot. All the credit goes to the shot, man. That’s a tough shot. Give OG that credit. The pass was just to get it to a guy like OG. It’s OG’s moment, man. That’s a great moment for that kid.”
Though the Raptors still trail 2-1 in the series, that’s a much more manageable deficit for the defending champs to handle than 0-3.
Lowry finished with 31 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the winners while Kemba Walker scored 29 points for Boston, which lost for the first time in seven playoff games, with teammate Jaylen Brown chipping in 19 points and 12 rebounds.
In the NBA’s second game of the evening, the outcome was really never in doubt as the Los Angeles Clippers rolled past the Denver Nuggets 120-97 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals behind 29 points from Kawhi Leonard in a game that saw LA shoot 57 percent from the field as a team.
“If you don’t execute, it’s going to hurt you, and part of that is intensity and focus, and you have to have that on every single play,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “I don’t think we understood that early on. I think we do now.”
The NBA playoffs continue tonight with a Game 3 in the East and a Game 1 in the West.
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