Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry shoots between Boston Celtics' Kemba Walker, left, and Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, right, in the first half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Sept 3, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.The Associated Press
Behind a tough-as-nails performance from Kyle Lowry, and a spectacular game-winning shot by OG Anunoby, the Toronto Raptors found new life in their second-round playoff series with a white-knuckled 104-103 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
The Celtics came out hot, led by five points after the first quarter, 10 points after the second and four points after the third, but the game tightened.
The two teams played bucket for bucket in the fourth, then excitement unfolded in the final seconds.
Kemba Walker delivered a spectacular play, dribbling around Lowry, Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet to deliver a perfect pass to the low post, resulting in a Daniel Theis dunk. Boston was up 103-101.
But the Raptors responded with half a second left on the clock. Lowry delivered a pass clear across the court, over the head of a jumping 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall to Anunoby. Then, with Jaylen Brown leaping in his face, Anunoby drilled a dramatic game-winning three-pointer right on the final buzzer.
Teammates mob Toronto Raptors' OG Anunoby, second player from left, after Anunoby's game winning shot at the buzzer in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Boston Celtics Thursday, Sept 3, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista Fla. Celtic's Daniel Theis is at rear.Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press
Lowry scored 31 points in his highest-scoring performance of these playoffs, to reduce Boston’s lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1. Lowry played 46 minutes, but also took a shot to the face, a knee to the groin and delivered the game-winning assist.
VanVleet scored 25. After a shaky start to the game, Pascal Siakam bounced back with a 16-point game. Anunoby added 12 points, reacting cool as a cucumber after his buzzer-beating three-point swish won the game and prompted his team to swarm the court. It was a little reminiscent of the transformative Kawhi Leonard game-winner against the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
“When I took that shot I expected to make it. I don’t shoot trying to miss,” said the very matter-of-fact Anunoby about his poker-faced reaction to his huge basket. “Every shot I shoot I try to make it. So I was not surprised.”
Lowry shrugged off questions about what a great final inbounds pass he made, and turned the spotlight on Anunoby.
“That pass was nothing, that shot was everything,” said Lowry. “He deserves all the love and celebration he’s getting tonight, that kid works extremely hard and, like I said, it’s his moment.”
It’s a shot in the arm for the Raps after two losses – the first a lop-sided beat-down, the second a crushing nail-biter.
“We expect a lot of ourselves, so to be down 0-2, I mean we knew it wasn’t over, but nobody was happy. People were pissed off, the mood wasn’t great,” said VanVleet. “All we needed was one to get the juice back, a little magic. You know, get the momentum going on your side. We’ve got to try and tie this thing up Saturday.”
Walker had 29 points for Boston, while Jaylen Brown had 19, Jayson Tatum 15 and Marcus Smart 11.
The Raptors showed last year that they could bounce back in a series after falling down 0-2. They wiggled out of the same situation last spring against the Milwaukee Bucks, winning four in a row to steal that series and book their ticket to the NBA Finals.
Just six per cent of NBA teams – 21 teams in history – have come back to win a series after dropping the first two games.
Boston’s backcourt of Walker and Marcus Smart had outscored Toronto’s duo of Lowry and VanVleet 75-63 in the first two games. The two Celtic guards had combined for 16 three-pointers while Toronto’s pair had just six. Lowry and VanVleet desperately needed to flip that script.
Lowry came out Thursday with urgency. He was aggressive right off the tip, driving to the basket on nearly every possession in the opening few minutes, scoring 10 of Toronto’s first 14 points. It was obvious that the longest-standing Raptor on the squad was prepared to carry the team if he needed to.
The six-time all-star point guard took an elbow hard to the chin from Boston big man Theis in the first quarter and just kept ticking. He manufactured a pair of steals, and created scoring opportunities for his teammates while continuing to roll to the hoop.
Yet as good as Lowry was in his 11-point first quarter, he wasn’t the best player on the floor at that point. Walker produced 17 points for Boston in the opening 12 minutes, and put the Celtics up 33-28 headed into the second.
Pascal Siakam had a rough start. He had shot just 34.4 per cent in the first two games of this series, and it wasn’t looking much better to start the night.
He picked up two early fouls in the opening six minutes and headed to the bench. Shortly after his return, he rumbled hard to the basket and picked up a third in a desperate attempt to provide points. He was slapped with an offensive charge on Grant Williams. A frustrated Nick Nurse hollered for a coach’s challenge, but the original call was upheld.
Toronto’s Cameroonian star forward soon returned to the bench with just two points to his name. The Raps went without him for the rest of the half.
The Celtics went on a big run as the half was closing, kick-started by Smart and defensive stops on the Raps. Walker launched a deep three-point dagger.
The Raps went into their locker room trailing 57-47.
Siakam was a different man when he returned in the second half. He made three field goals in the first few minutes – a cutting layup, a turnaround jumper, then a wide-open three that finally gave Toronto back the lead midway through the third.
The Raptors tightened up defensively, and kept the rotation to their top seven guys.
Lowry had to gut through another grueling collision late in the third. He elevated under the basket to defend Brad Wanamaker, who was driving hard for a layup and kneed the Raps point guard. Lowry crumpled to the ground in agony, rolling around as he screamed for a flagrant foul, but refs denied him.
On the final play of the night, the Raps had to swivel from the disappointment of letting Walker dish to Theis for the dunk, and draw up a play of their own. It was devised for VanVleet as the first option, and Siakam the second. Lowry saw Marc Garol flash up, and Brown follow him, leaving Anunoby open, so he opted to go to Anunoby cross court.
“Get it to one of my teammates that I truly believe in, and that’s what it’s about, man. Just get it to my guy,” said Lowry. “Give OG his flowers tonight, man. Give him his flowers tonight, seriously.”
Rachel Brady