Kawhi Leonard scores 29 points as LA Clippers rout Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of Western Conference semi-final
Friday 4 September 2020 07:15, UK
OG Anunoby beat the final buzzer with a three-pointer as the Toronto Raptors stunned the Boston Celtics 104-103 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
OG Anunoby beat the final buzzer with a three-pointer off an inbound pass from Kyle Lowry with 0.5 seconds remaining as the Toronto Raptors stunned the Boston Celtics 104-103 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Thursday night.
Lowry led all scorers with 31 points, Fred VanVleet added 25 and Anunoby had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors bounced back from losing the first two games of the best-of-seven series. Game 4 takes place on Saturday night.
Kemba Walker had 29 points and Jaylen Brown scored 19 with 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost for the first time in seven playoff games.
Boston appeared to be heading to a 3-0 series lead after Daniel Theis slammed home an emphatic dunk for a 103-101 edge with a half-second to go. The Raptors called timeout and then Lowry fired the inbounds pass over 7ft 5in Tacko Fall to Anunoby, wide open on the far side of the court. Anunoby connected on his shot to complete the comeback win.
Toronto were down 101-97 with 1:41 left before Lowry and VanVleet made baskets to tie the score.
The Raptors' largest lead of the fourth was 95-91 with 5:57 remaining before an 8-0 Celtics run.
Trailing by 10 to begin the second half, Toronto went ahead for the first time since the opening quarter first when Pascal Siakam hit a three-pointer for a 68-66 lead with 3:40 left in the third.
Boston levelled the game at 74 on a Walker trey with 1:25 to go. A Brad Wanamaker three-point play with 5.2 ticks left survived a flagrant-foul review, and Boston entered the fourth up 80-76.
Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and the LA Clippers rolled past the Denver Nuggets 120-97 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals.
Leonard connected on 12-of-16 shots from the floor in 32 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter. Although his streak of five consecutive games with 32 or more points ended, Leonard has scored at least 29 points in each of the Clippers' seven playoff games. He is averaging 32.3 points per game in the postseason.
Paul George contributed 19 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Morris Sr added 18 points, converting 7-of-10 shots and 4-of-5 three-pointers for the Clippers. Montrezl Harrell had 15 points and Lou Williams scored 10.
Denver's Nikola Jokic had 15 points and Paul Millsap finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Jamal Murray, Jerami Grant and Monte Morris chipped in 12 points apiece for the Nuggets, who had just one day off after clinching their seven-game series Tuesday against the Utah Jazz.
The Clippers, who led by as much as 29 points, took control in the second quarter and buried the Nuggets in the third quarter. They held a 91-67 lead heading into the final quarter.
After Monte Morris converted a pull-up jumper to tie the score at 36 less than three minutes into the second quarter, the Clippers used a 33-15 surge for a 69-51 advantage at the break. Leonard scored 19 first-half points.
The Clippers made 63.4 per cent of their shots compared to 42.9 per cent for the Nuggets in the first half. For the game, the Clippers hit 57.1 per cent to 42.2 per cent for the Nuggets.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley returned to action after recovering from a strained calf. He had eight points and six rebounds in 12 minutes.
