Joel Embiid gave the Philadelphia 76ers a hard-fought overtime win in Toronto. The center sunk an incredible shot at the last second to make it 104-101, giving the Sixers a 3-0 series lead.
Toronto Raptors (5) – Philadelphia 76ers (4) 101:104 OT (BOXSCORE), Serie: 0-3
It was anything but beautiful, it had to be a stroke of genius and Embiid had it up its sleeve. 0.8 seconds before the end of overtime the center hit a turnaround three-pointer to win, after the Sixers’ possession seemed screwed up. “It was the best shot of my career,” Embiid said after the game. “But we haven’t finished our work yet.” Toronto couldn’t get rid of a throw and is therefore already on the verge of the end after the third loss in a row.
The hosts put up a bitter fight for 53 minutes and led almost the entire season (highest lead: +17 in the second quarter). OG Anunoby (26 points, 4/9 threes) and Gary Trent Jr. (24, 4/9 threes) kept hitting important shots, while Pascal Siakam (12, 6/16) made a terrific game on defense and yet it was it again not enough. “We fought, gave everything, but in the end we got almost everything wrong,” stated a disappointed Fred VanVleet (12, 3/13, 9 assists, 3 steals).
Embiid, who struggled early on, dominated the second half, scoring 33 points (12/20 FG), 13 rebounds and 6 turnovers in 44 minutes. In extra time, the Cameroonian not only hit the game winner, but also this unbelievable throw after a pirouette. James Harden (19, 7/13, 10 assists) showed up and down again, but fouled out just before the end of regulation time.
Tyrese Maxey (19) held the ball more and more in extra time, and in addition to Embiid he scored the other two field goals of the guests in overtime. Tobias Harris (11, 4/9, 12 rebounds) put on a double-double, but almost became a tragic figure, after throwing a seemingly easy hook with the siren of the final section only relied on the ring for a possible victory.
Raptors lead early and unnerve Philadelphia
The Sixers’ game was initially reminiscent of the performances against Toronto in the regular season. The Raptors dominated the boards, they forced turnovers in defense and caused problems for Embiid with double teams because the center didn’t always get the right reads (4 of the Sixers’ 8 TO in the first quarter). However, Toronto only pulled away by double digits at the end of the section, when the threes finally fell (29:19).
Philadelphia only had one field goal from a two-pointer, while the Raptors already had 9 points in transition. The lead continued to grow before Harden finally appeared again as a scorer for the Sixers and thus kept the guests in the game (56:46).
The Sixers now also interspersed a zone defense more often and thus broke the rhythm of the hosts. The threes didn’t fall as desired, Embiid finally took over on the other side. The pick’n’roll with Harden worked perfectly, the Raptors also switched to a zone to stop this play. However, the guests always fell behind as the Raptors kept throwing in small runs.
Joel Embiid sinks Toronto with incredible game winner
With the exception of a few fast break points, nothing was given for free, stones were knocked out – on both sides. Six minutes from time, a Maxey putback equalized, but VanVleet countered from downtown after the Raptors shot ten tickets in a row.
The hall was boiling now, but the Sixers always had an answer. Harden equalized again with a floater and a free throw in the last minute, but fouled unnecessarily against Precious Achiuwa (20, 9/11) with 27 seconds to go with the clock running down, but the Raptors forward missed both attempts.
So the Sixers got the chance to win, but Harris missed an apparently easy short hook throw after an offensive rebound (95:95). In the extension, it remained competitive, it was hardly scored. Heavy throws were the order of the day, and Embiid hit one. The Sixers didn’t actually generate anything with the last possession, so Coach Rivers had to time out with 0.9 seconds on the shot clock. The unbelievable Embiid threesome followed, Toronto could no longer counter and is on the verge of being eliminated.
Raptors vs. Sixers: The series at a glance
| Spiel | Datum | time | Heim | away | result |
| 1 | 17. April | 12:00 a.m | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors | 131:111 |
| 2 | 19. April | 1:30 | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors | 112:97 |
| 3 | 21. April | 2 O ‘clock | Toronto Raptors | Philadelphia 76ers | 101:104 OT |
| 4 | 23. April | 8 p.m | Toronto Raptors | Philadelphia 76ers | – |
| 5* | 28. April | 2 O ‘clock | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors | – |
| 6* | 30. April | TBD | Toronto Raptors | Philadelphia 76ers | – |
| 7* | 1st May | TBD | Boston Celtics | Toronto Raptors | – |
*if necessary
