Ben Simmons attempted to shadow and stifle Kawhi Leonard but the three-time NBA All-Star refused to be tamed as he scored 39 points to lead Toronto to a crucial play-off victory over Philadelphia.
The Raptors won game four 101-96 on Monday (AEST) in Philadelphia to even the eastern conference semi-final series at 2-2.
The pivotal game five is in Toronto on Wednesday (AEST).
‘‘The mentality stays the same,’’ Simmons told reporters. ‘‘We have to go out and get a win.’’
Leonard capped off his virtuoso performance with one minute to go by eluding Simmons on a screen and then burying a three-pointer over 76ers’ centre Joel Embiid.
It put the Raptors up 94-90. Sixers coach Brett Brown described the basket as a ‘‘backbreaker’’.
‘‘He shot over Joel fading a little bit, so it was a tough shot,’’ Simmons said.
Philly blew an opportunity to go up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and pummel the Raptors’ confidence.
The 76ers will instead face a wild Toronto crowd and the resurgent Raptors who had five scorers in double figures at the Wells Fargo Centre.
Leonard’s points haul came on sinking 13 of 20 field goals, including five of seven three-pointers, and he had 14 rebounds and five assists.
Simmons had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jimmy Butler led the 76ers with 29 points while Embiid was restricted to 11 points and eight rebounds.
Embiid, who played 35 minutes, is suffering from what Brown described as a virus that has forced the Cameroonian to have intravenous fluids before games.
Brown said Embiid sent him a text at 6.20am saying he did not sleep and was unsure he would be able to play.
Toronto coach Nick Nurse made the strategic move to counter the size of Embiid by using centre Serge Ibaka off the bench for 32 minutes and it paid off as he contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
‘‘I believe it was a size advantage for us, believe it or not, in some portions of the game,’’ Nurse said.
In the western conference semi-finals, Denver Nuggets won 116-112 at the Portland Trail Blazers in game four of their series to even it up at 2-2.
Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic had his fourth post-season triple double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists while Jamal Murray led all scorers with 34 points – making all 11 of his free-throws including six in the final 13 seconds.
Guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard had 29 and 28 points respectively for the Blazers.Game five is in Denver on Wednesday (AEST).
AAP
Leave a Reply