Raptors edge Magic to grab series lead
Pascal Siakam pours in 30 points, grabs 11 rebounds; Celtics, Thunder get wins
Moments after Pascal Siakam led the Raptors to victory Friday night, a reporter began to ask the Game 3 star about the fact he'd only played seven years of organized basketball.
Danny Green stopped the reporter mid-sentence.
In a season that Siakam has been touted as the league's most improved player, he played like the Raptors' MVP on Friday, scoring 30 points and hauling down 11 rebounds to lead Toronto to a 98-93 victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Raptors take a 2-1 lead into Sunday's Game 4 of their best-of-seven opening-round playoff series.
WATCH | Siakam's big night pushes Raptors past Magic:
"He's unbelievable. He's the most improved basketball player in the NBA this year and he's only going to get better," said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who had 12 points and 10 assists and hustled to grab a big offensive rebound with 15 seconds left in the game.
Kawhi Leonard, who missed the previous couple of days because he wasn't feeling well, had 16 points and 10 boards, while Green chipped in with 13 points.
Former Raptor Terrence Ross had 24 points, while Nikola Vucevic added 22 for the Magic.
The 25-year-old forward has been one of the brightest stories of the Raptors' season, a player who worked his way up through Raptors 905 — the team's G-League affiliate — to become a cornerstone of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
How confident is he?
"It's growing, and it helps when I have guys like Danny and the team supporting me," Siakam said. "When you have things going, they want to go to you and give you the ball. Just knowing and trusting my work. Every time I go on the floor it's a blessing, and I trust my work, I work on things every day and try to get better."
Noisy sea of blue and white
The Magic, meanwhile, are back in the playoffs after a seven-year drought, and the Amway Center was a noisy sea of 19,367 blue and white — the arena's second-largest attendance in history. The Magic hadn't lost at home in nine straight, stretching back to Feb. 22.
But the Raptors were riding momentum from a decisive 111-82 victory in Game 2. And picking up where they left off, they raced out to an 11-point lead.
The Magic caught a break when Marc Gasol picked up two quick fouls early in the second half to make it four, and had to take a seat.
"I think it showed some toughness for us. I really thought this was going to be a tough atmosphere to play in," said Raptors coach Nick Nurse.
A Ross three-pointer cut the difference to three, but Lowry grabbed a rebound off a Leonard miss that Magic coach Steve Clifford called "critical." A pair of free throws by Leonard with 12.9 seconds clinched the victory for Toronto.
"I liked the way we came out ... we've got to impose our will in this game," said Nurse. "And then I liked us, how we answered."
Leonard had an off-night offensively, shooting 5-for-19 from the field. Coming off a 37-point performance in Game 2, the Magic threw several defenders at Leonard, including energetic 21-year-old Jonathan Isaac.
"Listen, that was a gutsy performance by him," Nurse said. "He didn't practise the last couple days ... and for him to go out there and fight through that and still play 37 minutes ... I'm most proud of his 10 rebounds, he was just battling, it wasn't easy for him out there tonight."
Celtics eyeing sweep of Pacers
Jaylen Brown scored 23 points and Kyrie Irving added 19 to help the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 104-96 on for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
Irving also had 10 assists and five rebounds.
Tyreke Evans matched his career playoff high with 19 points for the Pacers. Bojan Bogdanovic had 15, not enough to prevent Indiana from losing its sixth straight to Boston in the regular season and playoff.
Indiana desperately needed a win to avoid facing its second sweep in three years, but Boston started fast and closed i with a 10-4 spurt late in the fourth quarter.
And once again, Boston's defence turned the game by allowing just 12 points in the third quarter.
It's been that kind of series for Indiana, which erased a 15-point first half deficit to take a 61-59 halftime lead. Myles Turner opened the third with a three-pointer to make it a five-point game.
But Boston charged back with eight straight points to retake the lead, closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to make it 80-73 and pulled away late.
Westbrook, Thunder bounce back with win
Russell Westbrook called his play in Game 2 "unacceptable."
Paul George added 22 points, Jerami Grant had 18 and Dennis Schroder 17 for the Thunder. They will host Game 4 on Sunday night.
Damian Lillard scored 32 points, but he had just three in the fourth quarter after scoring 25 in the third. C.J. McCollum had 21 and Enes Kanter added 19.
Oklahoma City closed the second quarter on a 10-1 run to take a 49-39 lead. Lillard was held to four points on 2 -or-6 shooting and the Trail Blazers shot 37.5% in the half.
George hit a three-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw in the opening minutes of the second half to push Oklahoma City's lead to 55-43. Westbrook backed down Lillard, hit a bank shot and was fouled. Westbrook brought out his "rock the baby" celebration, then made the free throw to put Oklahoma City up by 15.
Lillard scored 23 points the rest of the quarter to help cut Oklahoma City's lead to 86-82 at the end of the period. McCollum hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 89 early in the fourth.
Oklahoma City regained control, then kept it. Westbrook's jumper with just over two minutes remaining put the Thunder up 10.