NBA Playoffs: Late Embiid Show Gives 76ers Healthy Lead Against Raptors, Celtics Sink Nets

21st April 2022

Embiid hit a stunning three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining in Toronto to add to his game-high 33 points and 13 rebounds

Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers waves after defeating the Toronto Raptors in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on April 20, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. PHOTO | AFP
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers waves after defeating the Toronto Raptors in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on April 20, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. PHOTO | AFP
SUMMARY
  • The Philadelphia 76ers had to wait for a last gasp three-pointer from Joel Embiid to stun Toronto Raptors 104-101 in overtime to take a 3-0 NBA playoff lead
  • The Sixers weren’t the only team to overcome a 17-point hole as the host Boston Celtics took a 114-107 fightback victory over Brooklyn thanks to a fourth-quarter rally, seizing a 2-0 series edge over the Nets
  • At Milwaukee, the defending champion Bucks tried to rally from 18 points down but visiting Chicago got an NBA playoff career high 41 points from DeMar DeRozan in a 114-110 triumph that leveled their series at 1-1.

The Philadelphia 76ers had to wait for a last gasp three-pointer from Joel Embiid to stun Toronto Raptors 104-101 in overtime to take a 3-0 NBA playoff lead.

Embiid hit a stunning three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining in Toronto to add to his game-high 33 points and 13 rebounds.

Embiid, a 2022 NBA Most Valuable Player award finalist, scored a game-high 33 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds as the visiting Sixers rallied from a 17-point deficit to seize a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with game four on Saturday.

"The job is not done. We’ve got one more. We’ve got to come back here and try to beat them again," said the 28-year-old center from Cameroon

The Sixers weren’t the only team to overcome a 17-point hole as the host Boston Celtics took a 114-107 fightback victory over Brooklyn thanks to a fourth-quarter rally, seizing a 2-0 series edge over the Nets.

At Boston, Celtics star Jaylen Brown scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and Jayson Tatum added 19.

The Nets never trailed until the final eight minutes as Boston charged back from a 17-point second-quarter deficit.

Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 27 points but was tested all night by swarming, physical Boston defenders in a bruising contest — the Celtics having led the league in defensive statistics.

Former NBA MVP Durant shot 4-of-17 from the floor, 0-for-10 with four turnovers in the second half.

At Milwaukee, the defending champion Bucks tried to rally from 18 points down but visiting Chicago got an NBA playoff career high 41 points from DeMar DeRozan in a 114-110 triumph that leveled their series at 1-1.

The Bucks pulled within 112-109 late on a three-point play by Brook Lopez, but DeRozan made a late driving layup and Antetokounmpo had an offensive foul to doom Milwaukee.