76ers

Toronto Raptors fans made life miserable for Joel Embiid early but the Philadelphia 76ers superstar had the last laugh with his game-winning three.

"It's a great city." "I don't get riled up," he said. I knew coming into Toronto I was definitely going to be the bad guy."

Here are 10 heart-stopping stats from the Sixers' overtime win over the Raptors in Game 3. By Reuben Frank.

2021: Led the Wizards 3-0 in first round. 1967: Led the Celtics 3-0 in division finals. CAN THEY CLOSE IT OUT IN FOUR? This is only the second time in their last 34 postseason series the 76ers have had a 3-0 lead. Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points in the third quarter in Game 1. BURYING THEIR 3’S: After shooting 50 percent and 47 percent from 3-point range in the first two games of the series, the 76ers shot 42 percent from deep on Wednesday. This is the first time in franchise history the 76ers have opened a series by shooting at least 40 percent in each of the first three games. They’re only the fourth team ever to average at least 30 3’s per game and shoot over 45 percent from 3-point range through three games of any playoff series since the inception of the 3-point shot in 1979. This was the 46th game this year Harden has taken at least 13 shots and only the ninth where he’s shot at least 44 percent. And because of it, the 76ers are up 3-0 in the series. The only other 76ers with 30 and 10 in consecutive playoff games are Chamberlain (three times), Schayes (twice) and Charles Barkley, Billy Cunningham, Moses Malone and Hal Greer (once each). Overall, the 76ers are now 8-32 in the playoffs when trailing by double digits after the first quarter. That’s the 3rd-most 30 and 10 games in 76ers history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain (14) and Dolph Schayes (13). This is the second time Embiid has had back-to-back 30 and 10 games. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE: Joel Embiid’s game-winning 27-foot 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds on the game clock was the first overtime last-second game-winner in 76ers postseason history.

Joel Embiid did something nobody in the history of a 76ers franchise founded in 1950 as the Syracuse Nationals has ever done. And because of it, the 76ers ...

AND HE’S ONLY 21: Maxey didn’t have his best game – he shot 8-for-18 and had five turnovers – but he did score 19 points and now has 90 points in the series. The only other 76ers with 30 and 10 in consecutive playoff games are Chamberlain (three times), Schayes (twice) and Charles Barkley, Billy Cunningham, Moses Malone and Hal Greer (once each). Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points in the third quarter in Game 1. That’s the 3rd-most 30 and 10 games in 76ers history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain (14) and Dolph Schayes (13). This is the second time Embiid has had back-to-back 30 and 10 games. And because of it, the 76ers are up 3-0 in the series. Overall, the 76ers are now 8-32 in the playoffs when trailing by double digits after the first quarter.

No team in NBA history has ever lost a series after building a 3-0 lead.

Embiid (33 points, 13 rebounds) led the way for Philadelphia in Game 3, but he also got his fair share of help, as he has all series. But while the big fella was obviously happy with the outcome of Game 3, he's also acutely aware that the series isn't over. The shot had to be especially deflating for the Raptors after they had played their best game of the series, by far. The Sixers never had a single lead in the game until overtime. The Raptors had a 10-point lead after one quarter, and they maintained that lead heading into the halftime locker room. Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors blessed us with an epic ending.

Joel Embiid hit a clutch three pointer with less than a second remaining to seal a 104-101 overtime win for the Philadelphia 76ers, extending their first ...

After shooting 9-of-24 in Game One, Kevin Durant once again struggled at the TD garden and finished with 27 points while shooting a miserly 23.5% from the field. Embiid finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds and had to play the whole of overtime without star teammate James Harden, who fouled out at the end of the fourth quarter. It's the 144th time that a team has taken a 3-0 lead in the playoffs, a best-of-seven series, and no team in playoff history has ever come back from that deficit.