Kawhi Leonard bounced in the game-winning shot at the buzzer as Toronto Raptors advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a 92-90 win over visiting Philadelphia 76ers in a heart-stopping game seven on Sunday.
Game seven was a microcosm of the wildly-unpredictable series with each team taking turns making runs or being inept until the biggest twist of all from Leonard finished it off in dramatic style.
With the score tied 90-90 and the game appearing to be headed to overtime, Leonard took matters into his own hands by getting open for a long shot from the right side. His arching moon ball at the buzzer bounced twice on each side of the rim before dropping in to clinch the series for Raptors.
“I got a fortuitous bounce,” said Leonard, who finished with a finished with a game high 41 points. “I just shot it as hard as I could. I got some loft on it and it made the ball bounce soft and it ended up going in.”
The Raptors advance to the NBA final-four where they will play the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in game one of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Portland Trail Blazers rallied on the back of C.J. McCollum’s 37 points to stun the Nuggets 100-96 in Denver and book a Western Conference finals date with champion Golden State.
Trail Blazers, who booked their first trip to the conference finals since 2000, will open their best-of-seven series against the Warriors on Tuesday.
The results: Western Conference: Portland Trail Blazers 100 (McCullum 37, Turner 14, Lillard 13) bt Denver Nuggets 96 (Jokic 29, Murray 17, Harris 15). Trail Blazers win series 4-3 .
Eastern Conference: Toronto Raptors 92 (Leonard 41, Ibaka 17, Siakam 11) bt Philadelphia 76ers 90 (Embiid 21, Redick 17, Butler 16). Raptors win series 4-3 .
