Joel Embiid Hit A Spinning Three To Beat The Raptors In OT And Go Up 3-0

The Toronto Raptors came out, as expected, with some extra juice on Wednesday night back in their home building after getting thoroughly outclassed in Philadelphia in Games 1 and 2. Toronto came out swarming the Sixers on defense and looking to push the tempo on offense, darting out to a 17-point lead in the second quarter as the 76ers looked a bit shell-shocked by the Raptors early energy.

However, Philadelphia started to settle in, closing the deficit to 10 at halftime and then just one going into the fourth quarter, where the two teams traded blows in a low-scoring, tense battle. Joel Embiid came alive down the stretch, hitting some absurd shots that offered a glimpse at what was to come to end the game, including this stepback to beat the shot clock buzzer and tie the game at 87-87.

The two teams would struggle to create separation from that point on, trading shots as the Raptors would take a lead and the Sixers would quickly tie it up. After James Harden fouled out, Precious Achiuwa missed a pair of free throws that could’ve given Toronto a lead with under 30 seconds remaining, and Philly had a chance to dial up a hopeful game-winning play. The result was an Embiid fadeway three that went begging, followed by a Tobias Harris putback that likewise missed short to send the game to OT.

In overtime, it was the Sixers that went up early, forcing Toronto to try and stay attached, which they were able to thanks to OG Anunoby and yet another shot clock beating three in the game.

That trend continued in the closing seconds, as after a dreadful possession forced Doc Rivers to call timeout with 0.9 on the shot clock, Embiid redeemed himself with an outrageous spinning three to win the game.

Toronto wasn’t able to get a last gasp shot off before the final buzzer sounded, and the Sixers escaped Game 3 with a win and a stranglehold on the series at 3-0. Embiid finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, aided by 19 points each from Harden and Tyrese Maxey. On the Raptors side, Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. were sensational, combining for 50 points, while Achiuwa gave them 20 off the bench, but their stars struggled, as Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet went 9-for-29 from the field for 24 combined points in the loss.

The win effectively seals the series for the Sixers, as they now need just one more win to punch their ticket to the second round, while Toronto will have a tough time bouncing back for Game 4 after putting forth such a massive effort and coming up painfully short.