Coverage of the NBA Playoffs continues on Sunday night - join us from 8.30pm on Sky Sports Mix
Sunday 6 September 2020 12:23, UK
Pascal Siakam scored a series-best 23 points, Kyle Lowry added 22 and the Toronto Raptors evened their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series with a 100-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
Serge Ibaka scored 18 points and Fred VanVleet 17 as the Raptors level the series having falling 2-0 down, Siakam and Lowry each producing double-doubles with 11 rebounds apiece.
Jayson Tatum had 24 points and Kemba Walker 15 for the Celtics, who lost their second straight after six consecutive wins to begin the playoffs.
Siakam, Lowry and VanVleet each played upwards of 40 minutes for Toronto, while Tatum, Walker and Marcus Smart did the same for Boston, with Game 5 due to take place Monday.
Shooting 28.3 percent from three-point range through the first three games, the Raptors went 17 of 44 (38.6 percent) from deep in the win. In contrast, the Celtics only hit seven of their 35 efforts from behind the arc (20.0 percent).
A Lowry three-pointer gave Toronto an 85-75 lead with 10:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. Boston got within five at 91-86 on a Jaylen Brown three, his first hit from deep in 10 chances. Lowry responded with a three, and the Raptors led 94-86 with 4:44 to go.
Toronto went up 98-87 on two Lowry free throws with 2:20 left and held on. Tied at halftime, the Raptors began the third with a 14-7 run for a 63-56 lead. The Celtics were within four at 70-66 with 2:40 left before VanVleet hit a pair of threes around an Ibaka trey during a 9-2 spurt for the game's first double-digit lead at 79-68, Toronto ending the quarter up 81-73.
The Raptors led from 6:48 of the first quarter until the Celtics equalised at 40 on a Smart three-point play with 4:13 to go in the half. Boston grabbed its first lead of the game for 46-44 on a pair of Semi Ojeleye free throws with 2:11 to play.
VanVleet sunk a three-pointer with nine-tenths of a second remaining to forge a 49-49 tie at the break. Toronto held a 31-27 edge after one.
