Toronto Raptors Regains Home Court Advantage and Evens Series 2-2

Last night, was a must win for the Toronto Raptors, if they fell down 3-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers, they knew the series would be pretty much over.

Kyle Lowry actually showed up in the playoffs, he scored seven of his 14 total points on the first quarter. Lowry finally gave Kawhi the help he needed.

The Sixers, however were able to fight back in the first quarter to cut an 11 point lead to be only down 24-21 to end the first quarter, due to the contributions of Jimmy Butler and James Ennis III.

The Raptors and Sixers were going blow for blow in the second quarter, which lead to the Sixers being up 47-45, with a clutch three by Jimmy Butler to end the half.

Kawhi left his mark on the game as he usually does.

The third quarter, was nonetheless different from the second quarter, each team went shot for shot, Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol, Paschal Siakam lead the push in the third for the Raptors, whereas Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, JJ Redick, and James Ennis III lead the push for the Sixers in the third quarter. Raptors-Sixers were tied 75-75 to end the third quarter.

Jimmy Butler scored the first few points in the fourth quarter from free throws. Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol answered back with a jump shot and layup of their own to give the Raptors the lead 81-79 with 10:16 left in the fourth quarter. Both teams went back and forth exchanging the lead until Kawhi Leonard hit a clutch three over Joel Embiid and JJ Redick with the shot clock winding down, to give the Toronto Raptors a 94-90 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers with one minute left. That shot sealed the game and the Sixers could never regain composure.

Toronto went on to beat the Sixers 101-96 to even the series 2-2, the series will resume Tuesday in Toronto.

Kawhi Leonard finished with an astonishing 39 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists. Marc Gasol finished with 16 points. Kyle Lowry finished with 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Danny Green finished 11 points. Serge Ibaka finished with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Jimmy Butler put the Sixers on his back again, finishing with 29 points and 11 rebounds. JJ Redick finished with 19 points. Tobias finished with 16 points and six rebounds, even though it looked like he was building a house with all the bricks he put up yesterday shooting 7 for 23 from the field. Ben Simmons finished with ten points. James Ennis III finished with nine points off the bench.

Sixers Survive to even Series 1-1

Sixers started off the game strong, which lead to a commanding 16 point lead in the second quarter. However, due to turnovers late in the second quarter, by Greg Monroe and Ben Simmons. Danny Green hit a late three in the second quarter which cut the Sixers lead to 13, the Philadelphia 76ers lead 51-38 at halftime.

In the second half, the Toronto Raptors were the team that started off strong, Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam lead the Raptors on a 25-18 run. This lead to the Sixers leading 69-63 at the end of the third quarter.

Sixers withheld every run Toronto, tried to make, Kyle Lowry hit back to back threes midway through the fourth quarter, to cut the Sixers lead to three 90-87. Tobias Harris sealed the game with two clutch free throws to give the Sixers a much-needed win, with a final score 94-89. The Philadelphia 76ers even the series with the Toronto Raptors 1-1. The series will resume in Philly Thursday night.

Jimmy Butler carried the team with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Joel Embiid had 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists while playing sick. JJ Redick finally found his rhythm game two and scored 11 points. Tobias Harris had nine points and 11 rebounds. Ben Simmons filled the stat sheet with six points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Sixers bench contributed 26 points, with the help of Greg Monroe, James Ennis, and Jonah Bolden.

Kawhi Leonard had another stellar performance with 35 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Paschal Siakam had another sleeper game finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Kyle Lowry had 20 points. Marc Gasol had a disappointing game with 5 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Danny Green also had a disappointing game with 3 points. The Raptors bench only contributed five points.

Philadelphia 76ers Make Blockbuster Trade for Jimmy Butler

Today, the 76ers made a trade for Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler. The 76ers traded Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second round pick, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton.

The Sixers have been star searching for their final piece to create their own big three in Philly since last summer. After trading for Jimmy Butler, the search may finally be completed.

Although Jimmy Butler has been a headcase in both Minnesota and in Chicago, I believe he’ll fit in well in Philly considering Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid work hard, unlike the young stars in Minnesota, such as Andrew Wiggins & Karl Anthony-Towns.

Jimmy Butler tantrums finally got his wish and now has been traded to a team that’s ready to get to next level. Jimmy Butler has been averaging 21.3 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 4.3 assists per game this year.

Considering the continued struggles Markelle Fultz has been having it was time for a change. Since JJ Redick is a defensive liability, having him come off the bench is a necessity. Jimmy Butler may be the last piece to get the Sixers to claim the throne of the East and get past the Celtics and Raptors to face the NBA juggernaut Golden State Warriors possibly in the NBA Finals.

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