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The Toronto Raptors are back in the series. Trailing 2-0 to the Boston Celtics heading into Game 3, they were trailing by two with 0.5 seconds remaining, and they appeared to be on track for another loss. That’s when OG Anunoby stepped up and fired a triple on the buzzer to give the Raptors a 104-103 victory.
Anunoby was the hero of the Raptors and finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a very solid game overall. But Kyle Lowry was the one who kept them in the game all night, finishing with 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists, including the game-winner’s in-bounds pass over the outstretched arms of Tacko Fall.
Kemba Walker led the way for the Celtics, with 29 points, three rebounds and three assists, and made what would have been the game of the game in the closing seconds, finding Daniel Theis for a dunk lead with 0.5 seconds left. Unfortunately for Boston, that turned out not to be a winning game.
Anunoby plays the hero
OG Anunoby is not one of the stars of the Raptors, but he is a hero after his triple winner in Game 3. With just 0.5 seconds left, the Raptors were down two and needed something of a miracle to avoid. Going down 3-0 in the series. Anunoby delivered the greatest opportunity of his young career.
Getting into the corner, he grabbed Kyle Lowry’s pass and, thanks to a nonchalant defense from Jaylen Brown, was able to hit a lightning-fast pitch to beat the buzzer by a split second. The shot was suspended in the air and fit into the net, changing the entire trajectory of this series.
The third-year winger wasn’t even able to play in the Raptors title race last season due to an unfortunately scheduled appendectomy, but he’s seizing his chance this season. He’s arguably the Raptors’ most consistent player in this series, scoring 14.7 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 57.1 percent from center.
Raptors stay alive
Once they fell 2-0 in this series, the Raptors were in a really tough spot. Only seven squads have come back from that kind of deficit in the last decade, and while they were actually one of them, fighting to beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals last season, that kind of change can’t be trusted. again. .
But while the 2-0 is challenging, the Raptors might as well have packed up and left the bubble if they lost Thursday night. No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit since the postseason series went to seven games. And so, in essence, his season was at stake in Game 3.
They still have a lot of work to do and will need to win three of the next four games to win the series, but that’s a lot easier to handle than trying to win four games in a row.
Kemba’s big night is wasted
Kemba Walker’s first trip to the playoffs since 2016 with the Hornets has been even better than he expected. His problem knee feels good, his Celtics were undefeated until this Game 3 loss, and he’s been playing excellent basketball.
That trend continued for much of Thursday night, as Walker picked his spots and did pretty much what he wanted against the Raptors defense. He had 29 points on 9 of 15 shooting from the field, dished out three assists and made a series of smart plays on the trap that didn’t result in stats for him, but he got the Celtics easy.
In the closing seconds, with the game tied and the Celtics looking for a basket lead, it seemed like he had tried too hard. But then when he got into the lane, he dropped Daniel Theis a beautiful dime for a big hit. Most nights, it would have been celebrated as the game’s winning play, and Walker would have another defining moment added to his resume.
Instead, Anunoby stole its headlines, and Walker’s big night was wasted.
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