Friday 10 May 2019 12:40, UK
Ben Simmons scored 21 points and Jimmy Butler added 25 as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 112-101 on Thursday night to level the Eastern Conference semi-finals at three games apiece.
Game 7 will be played Sunday night in Toronto. The winner will advance to meet the top-seeded Bucks, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Joel Embiid added 17 points and 12 rebounds, Tobias Harris contributed 16 points, and JJ Redick and Mike Scott had 11 each for the third-seeded Sixers, who haven't advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since 2001, when they ousted the Bucks in seven games.
Kawhi Leonard led the second-seeded Raptors with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam added 21 points, and Kyle Lowry had 13. Leonard has scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive playoff games.
The Raptors are searching for their second trip to the Eastern Conference finals, having lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
The Sixers held a 29-21 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks in large part to Simmons' eight points, five assists and zero turnovers.
Philadelphia's lead swelled to 38-21 early in the second quarter following consecutive three-pointers from Embiid and Mike Scott.
After falling behind 42-23, the Raptors responded with a 12-0 spurt over a span of 2:41 to close within seven with 5:59 left in the second.
Butler had 11 of his 19 points in the second period, and the Sixers bolted to a 58-43 lead at half-time.
Leonard paced the Raptors with 14 first-half points, but Toronto shot just 3-of-17 from beyond the three-point arc before the break. Leonard missed all four of his long-range attempts in the game.
Toronto got within 69-61 before the Sixers scored nine straight points, highlighted by a three-point play by Embiid and a three-pointer from Scott.
The Raptors trailed 87-67 at the end of the third.
Philadelphia came out aggressively to start the fourth and dropped in the first four points. Lowry knocked down a three-pointer with 6:53 remaining to get Toronto within 97-78.
With Philadelphia leading 101-82, Redick hit a baseline three-pointer to put the Sixers ahead by 22 with 4:23 to go, effectively sealing the victory.
Game 7 takes place in Toronto late on Sunday evening (midnight).
