Kawhi Leonard hit a buzzer-beating two-pointer to lift the Toronto Raptors into the Eastern Conference finals and eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in a down-to-the-wire game seven.
The Raptors advanced to the finals for the second time in four seasons when Leonard's last-gasp effort from the corner bounced off the rim four times before falling into the basket to euphoric celebrations from the crowd and his team-mates.
🚨 THE SHOT. THE BOUNCE. THE WIN. 🚨 Kawhi Leonard drops in the #TissotBuzzerBeater to lift the @Raptors to the Game 7 win! #ThisIsYourTime #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/bpRx7GXiKu — NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2019
Jimmy Butler – who finished with 16 points – had levelled the game with 4.2 seconds remaining but was left broken-hearted as Leonard's game-winning shot earned the Raptors a 92-90 win and 4-3 series victory.
Leonard finished with a total of 41 points, while Joel Embiid top-scored for the 76ers with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Toronto's best-of-seven finals series will start on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I've always said I'm a shark: sharks eat, sharks are killers." INDEED, @CJMcCollum, indeed. Tonight's @biofreeze Performance of the Night 🙌🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/1hrYoBBpoE — Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 12, 2019
In the night's other game, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Denver Nuggets 100-96 to advance to the Western Conference finals.
CJ McCollum scored 37 points as the Trail Blazers rallied from 17 points down to clinch the semi-final series 4-3 and book their place in the finals for the first time in 19 years.
Portland will now face defending champions the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
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