Toronto appeared like they were in trouble again in the first half: Their halfcourt offense was stagnant, Pascal Siakam had more fouls than points, and as a group the Raptors were 5-of-22 from 3. Boston was up 10, 57-47.
Toronto gamers could have begun reserving flights to Cancun if the Anunoby missed that shot and the Raptors had gone down 0-3. The Raptors, however, are champions who will not offer up their crown so quickly.
Toronto is alive and is making this a series once again.
Boston now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 on Saturday.
” We fought and scrapped,” Lowry said in his postgame interview on TNT. “We never ever gave up.”
In the 2nd half, however, the Raptors stalled Bostons offense with some zone defense (which has troubled Boston all series however was a huge trigger in Game 3), meanwhile, Lowry (16 points in the half) and Fred VanVleet (17 in the half) found their shooting touch. Toronto was 8-of-19 from 3 in the second half, Boston 3-of-13. The Raptors went out and ran in the second half, a team that depends on transition however had actually been slowed for two-and-a-half games looked more like their regular-season selves.
Then OG Anunoby called game.
Kyle Lowry made a fantastic pass over the outstretched arms of Tacko Fall to OG Anunoby on the weakside, who executed the catch-and-shoot game-winner to excellence and offered Toronto a 104-103 win.
Kemba Walkers craftiness with the dribble– producing space to discover Daniel Theis for a dunk to put Boston up 2 103-101 with 0.5 seconds left– looked like the dagger that all-but ended Torontos season.
The Celtics still almost got the win, but when it mattered most Anunoby struck the big shot then walked off like he does this every day.
