MANILA, Philippines – Kawhi Leonard struggled offensively but Pascal Siakam picked up the slack as the Toronto Raptors outlasted the Orlando Magic, 98-93, to take a 2-1 series lead in the NBA first-round playoffs on Friday, April 19 (Saturday, April 20, Manila time).
Siakam dropped a playoff career-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Raptors staved off the gritty Magic’s comeback attempts.
Leonard finished with 16 points on a woeful 5-of-19 shooting (26%) but had 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Danny Green chipped in 13 points and Kyle Lowry had a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists for the Raptors.
“I really thought this was going to be a tough atmosphere to play in,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse after the road win.
COOL UNDER PRESSURE pic.twitter.com/CsjjvW6n7W
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 20, 2019
Terrence Ross fired 24 points to lead the Magic, who will try to level the series again in Game 4 on Sunday in Orlando.
Nikola Vucevic added a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds as the Magic clawed their way back in several stretches and even grabbed the lead.
But the Raptors staged a pivotal 16-0 run in the second half that turned a 60-61 deficit into a 76-61 gap, then fended off the Magic’s late rallies. – Rappler.com
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