The Toronto Raptors had the bounces go their way Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena.
Literally.
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup between the Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers went right down to the wire. After Jimmy Butler tied the game at 90-90 with 4.2 seconds left, Toronto was left with one last chance to prevent the winner-take-all showdown from going to overtime. Luckily for the Raptors, their best player didn’t let that opportunity go to waste.
After receiving the inbounds pass from Marc Gasol, Kawhi Leonard worked his way around the key before pulling up for a fadeaway jumper from the corner over Joel Embiid. It took a few friendly bounces, but the basketball eventually found its way through the bottom of the net to send Toronto to the Eastern Conference finals.
Leonard’s buzzer beater marked the first Game 7-winner of the kind in NBA history. It truly was a special night for the star forward, whose 41 points were the game’s highest by a 20-point margin.
The Raptors now are on to the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who only have lost one game in these playoffs. The series is set to get underway Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.
