TORONTO — Joel Embiid scored a dagger three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in extra time to raise the Philadelphia 76ers to a 104-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, taking a 3-0 lead of their first-round playoff collection.
Embiid completed with 33 issues and 13 rebounds, spoiling the primary Raptors playoff motion in Toronto in 3 years.
OG Anunoby had 26 issues for the Raptors, who led by means of as many as 17 issues. Gary Trent Jr., scored a profession playoff prime 24 issues in spite of preventing an sickness the previous week.
Valuable Achiuwa had 20 issues, whilst Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each had off nights, with simply 12 issues apiece for the Raptors, who have been lacking NBA rookie of the yr finalist Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors raced out to an early 17-point lead, in spite of everything taking a look just like the workforce that received 14 of 18 video games down the stretch. They shot 52.4 in step with cent within the first part and pestered Philly into 15 turnovers.
However the Raptors went flat within the 3rd quarter, taking pictures simply 1-for-7 from in the back of the arc, and when Embiid attached on a loose throw with 5.5 seconds left within the body, the Sixers had pulled to inside of 75-74 with one quarter to play.
Neither workforce led by means of greater than 3 issues in a hard-fought fourth quarter prior to VanVleet discovered Anunoby within the nook for an extended bomb, and Achiuwa scored on a putback for a five-point cushion with two mins to play.
Harden’s loose throw with 49.7 seconds left tied the sport. The previous NBA MVP fouled out of the sport 20 seconds later, cheered off the ground by means of the raucous crowd.
Achiuwa neglected a couple of loose throws with 27.2 seconds left, however Toronto locked down at the defensive finish to power an additional duration with the sport tied 95-95.
Within the additional duration, Anunoby hit a take hold of basket because the shot clock sounded for a one-point lead with 2:58 to play, however Embiid responded to place Philly again up. Embiid fouled Anunoby with 26.2 seconds left, and scored on one among his two loose throws whilst a furious Sixers trainer Document Rivers raged on the reputable.
Inexperienced inbounded the ball with 2.6 seconds left and Embiid hit the winner to ship Raptors lovers house heartbroken.
The Raptors must get reinforcements for Recreation 4. Trainer Nick Nurse expects Barnes, who sprained his left ankle in Recreation 1, to play Saturday. The finalist for rookie of the yr wasn’t dressed in a strolling boot at the bench Wednesday, and was once on his toes cheering for a lot of the sport.
The Raptors hadn’t made a playoff look in Toronto since Recreation 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, a one-point loss to Golden State that was once memorable for Kevin Durant’s ruptured Achilles tendon.
COVID-19 pressured the 2020 season to complete within the NBA bubble at Disneyworld, and the Raptors have been exiled in Tampa, Fla., final season because of border restrictions. A COVID outbreak in March of final season noticed them somersault down the standings to complete twelfth, the one yr they have neglected the playoffs up to now 9 seasons.
The 76ers cruised to simple wins in Video games 1 and a pair of, by means of rankings of 131-11 and 112-97.
The Raptors jumped out to an early 10-point lead on Wednesday, forcing the Sixers to dedicate 9 turnovers within the first quarter by myself. Philadelphia grew to become the ball over simply 4 instances in all of Recreation 1.
Anunoby had 10 issues within the body and his three-pointer with 31 seconds left despatched the Raptors into the second one quarter up 29-19.
Toronto opened the second one with a 9-2 run to move up by means of 17 issues, however the Sixers battled again and Harden’s using layup with 1:40 left lower the variation to only six issues.
The quarter had some heated moments. VanVleet was once whistled for a bad, after which a technical for angrily arguing the decision after Embiid fell out of bounds as though blown over by means of a gust of wind.
Inexperienced picked up a technical for disagreeing a decision, and it took a few two-handed chest shoves from Harden to get Inexperienced to go towards Philadelphia’s bench.
Recreation 5, if important, can be performed Monday in Philadelphia.
