Kawhi Leonard was once again fantastic on the court, but he couldn’t help his team avoid a defeat. The 2014 Finals MVP scored 35 points on Monday night in the Raptors 94-89 loss against the 76ers. The team from Philly has now tied the series 1-1.
Leonard had 20 points in the second half, but the first one proved to be decisive for the end result. The home team played the worst 24 minutes of the playoffs, while the next two quarters were not enough for a comeback.
The Eastern Conference semis are now moving to Philadelphia, where Game 3 will take place on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center, where the Raptors will try to make a break.
Pascal Siakam had 21 points, Kyle Lowry scored 20, while the team’s next high scorer was Marc Gasol, with only 5 points on his count. Raptors were at one point trailing by 19 but managed to cut this lead and make the game more interesting. Unfortunately for their fans, they failed to overcome this deficit and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Jimmy Butler recorded a double-double for the 76ers, with 30 points and 11 assists, while Joel Embiid finished Game 2 with 12 points.
First Half Decided the Winner
Leonard scored 15 points in the first half, while the rest of the team shot 9 for 36, scoring only 3 three-pointers out of 15 attempts. During the first 24 minutes, the Raptors had 13 rebounds, while their opponents had 33. At the end of the half, the Raptors were down by 13.
The Raptors played much better after the break, outscoring their opponents 25-18, even managing to cut the 76ers lead to a single point 2:50 before the end of the third quarter, after Marc Gasol scored a pair of free throws.
However, they didn’t start the fourth in the same manner, with Philadelphia increasing its advantage to 11 points 3:17 into the quarter. The 76ers even went up by 13, before the home teams once again returned to the game. After Lowry scored a couple of three-pointers, the Raptors cut the lead to 3. Siakam’s basket 46 seconds before the buzzer cut the 76ers lead to just 1.
Embiid game the 76ers a three-point lead, while Green missed an opportunity to even to score, after missing a three-point shot 5 seconds before the end of the game.
The Raptors won their 14 previous matches against the 76ers at Scotiabank Arena, while the last game they lost before last night way back nearly 6 and a half years ago.
Game 3 will be played on Thursday in Philadelphia, as well as Game 4, scheduled to take place on Sunday. Get the best odds for the upcoming game when you visit Spin Sports.