Kyle Lowry (33 points) led six different Raptors in double as the Raptors used small ball to will their way to a thrilling 125-122 victor over the Celtics on Wednesday night to force a Game 7.
The Celtics staved off a number of potential game-winning shots by Toronto at the end of regulation and the first overtime but Lowry and Powell were too much for the C’s in the final minute of the second OT as Toronto rallied from a four-point deficit in the period to close the game on a 19-12 run.
Jaylen Brown had a team-high 33 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds while Marcus Smart posted his second career triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists but it wasn’t enough for Boston as Kemba Walker’s shooting struggles (2-of-11 FG) loomed large to match Toronto’s hot 3-point shooting in the defeat.
The Celtics and Raptors face off in Game 7 on Friday night at 9 p.m.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics looked to be on the verge of breaking the game wide open with a 11-4 run to start the second quarter but a small Raptors lineup countered with a 8-0 run right before halftime to help trim the deficit to four.
TWO UP
Marcus Smart: Toronto came out with a box-1 zone right out of the gate in the first quarter, and Smart made the Raptors pay by hitting three 3s in the opening six minutes of the game. He finished with 11 points in the first half on 3-of-5 shooting from deep.
Jaylen Brown: On the heels of a 27 point performance in Game 5, Brown was the most aggressive Celtic in Game 6 as the Raptors keyed in on Kemba Walker, scoring 21 points in the first half while chipping in with 6 rebounds. It was the highest scoring half for Brown of the postseason.
TWO DOWN
Kemba Walker: The Raptors gave the C’s point guard plenty of added defensive attention in the first half and the C’s weren’t able to get him into good spots to attack. He took just three shot attempts and failed to score at all over the opening 24 minutes.
Defending Serge Ibaka from 3-point range: The Raptors big man was hitting 50 percent of his 3-point attempts entering Game 6 but the Celtics (and Rob Williams specifically) still managed to lose him too much in the pick-and-pop. He knocked down three 3s in the first half to help the Raptors erase much of a 11-point deficit.
TOP PLAY
.@fchwpo's even pulling out the euro step ? pic.twitter.com/ja9wGFul04
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 9, 2020
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Jaylen Brown
C: Daniel Theis
G: Fred Van Vleet
PF: OG Anunoby
C: Marc Gasol
- Serge Ibaka is listed as questionable for Toronto after suffering a sprained ankle in the second half of Game 5. He was spotted wearing a walking boot on Tuesday. If he can't go, the Raptors will need to rely on Chris Boucher or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at their backup bigs spots, two guys that won't be able to make up Ibaka's 3-point production (50 percent) in this series.
- Brad Stevens is 1-4 in Game 6s during his Celtics career with losses on the road in all three games to the Wizards, Cavs and Bucks and a home loss to the Hawks. The Celtics went on to win two of those series despite those Game 6 setbacks.
- Jayson Tatum is leading all players in this series in PPG (22.4) and RPG (9.4). Look for him coming out to try to assert himself after an off shooting night in Game 5 (5-of-15).
- Toronto has never come back from a 3-2 series deficit in franchise history.