The rest of the raptors joined Kawhi to dismantle the 76ers



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TORONTO – The Claw were out early Tuesday, first with his first Ben Simmons card, then with a deflection on the next field trip that resulted in a Philadelphia 76ers turnover. The claw grabbed 10 rebounds in the first period, and he even sent one of his teammates to the locker room for stitches after hitting him on the forehead with an elbow.

But although Kawhi Leonard added Tuesday one of the most impressive CVs in NBA history in the playoffs, the overwhelming victory of the Toronto Raptors in the fifth game against Philadelphia was a collective Raptors statement . A supportive cast that promised to help his transcendent superstar delivered in a multitude of ways.

"The way we played tonight – I'd like to play like that every night," Leonard told ESPN.com. "I'm pretty sure everybody else feels the same thing, they all want to contribute, there are no guys in this team who just want to sit and relax and watch either me or Kyle [Lowry] or pascal [Siakam] just be awesome. Everyone wants to play well. "

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Leonard's outstanding play in the playoffs could be an unfair standard to retain his teammates. Before suffering a right calf contusion in Game 3, Siakam's athletic style and range from the corners have steadily offended Toronto. In addition, the Raptors gather a kernel of intoxicating veterans such as Lowry, Marc Gasol and Danny Green, whose contributions are not always easy to quantify in statistical lines. By nature, these are brain players who have mastered the art of contributing without scoring, and what often looks like a misfire in the goals board is a win-win exercise on the sidelines.

Nevertheless, the disparity between Leonard's production and the rest of the team was profound. When Leonard entered the fifth game, he scored 38.8% of the Raptors' points in that series – a much larger share than any other individual player in the conference semifinal (Kevin Durant and James Harden being as follows , with 32%). After the Raptors were embarrassed in the third game, Lowry told Tim Bontemps, ESPN: "We have to help him."

Help came early and often on Tuesday, and each member of the team was, one way or another, the best version of himself.

"We needed this type of game where everyone played well," Lowry said. "I do not think we've had such a match in a while, we have another level where I think we can play the attack and the defense, but it was a good team win."

Lowry: He scored 19 points, had six rebounds and five assists, but more importantly, he drove hard to the hole, making contact, devouring stray bullets in traffic and contributing to forced labor. , as a background screen on Joel Embiid who gave Leonard the track for his emphatic driving dunk just before halftime.

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Kawhi Leonard ends the first period on a high note while he throws a jam to one hand.

Less than three days after being dubious for match 4 while he had treated a right calf contusion, Siakam led all scorers with 25 points. Although he did not have his normal propulsion during the ascent, Siakam unleashed his improvised exploits, making his way to the line for 10 attempts against a Sixers defense that was a step up. slow and converts two of the seven long-range.

For the second consecutive game, Gasol looked like an offensive attacking point that, for years, went from the top of the post to Memphis, unleashing the offensive with his creativity and instinct. He finished with 11 points – one of six double digit Raptors – misplaced three out of five attempts beyond the bow and offered three assists. The two-player game between Gasol and Leonard continues to grow, with a dribble transfer action and Gasol helping Leonard to find holes on the floor in the pick-and-roll.

A key factor in the success of the Raptors team in the fifth match? They spent a quarter of their goods in transition, according to Glass Cleaning. According to Green, there was no better beneficiary on the Toronto list than Green, who scored 17 points, including 12 out of four throws at three points in the first eight seconds of the shot clock.

"Pushing the pace gives us open, undisputed, more rhythmic looks," said Green. "So I think it helped a ton."

For the Raptors' bench, who had struggled for much of the series, Tuesday was a collective escape. Fred VanVleet kept his first three point point in the series after a total of 0 to 7 in the first four games. Serge Ibaka took advantage of his second consecutive appearance during which he affected the match on both sides.

Much of this work came after Shooter Leonard fired in order to bounce back in the first quarter. Flowing blood from his forehead, Ibaka returned to the Toronto locker room, where the Raptors' medical staff sewed him with three stitches. On his return, Ibaka was a key defensive presence for the Raptors and he made another strong offensive with 10 points on 4 shots on 7 of the field.

"He came back playing well, right?" Leonard joked, noting that the blow was involuntary. Ibaka shouted through the locker room that he expects Leonard to pay for plastic surgery. Leonard retorted that his teammate had an outstanding debt on which the cosmetic retouch could be deducted.

Although this is the least impressive match in the series of Leonard statistically – 21 points out of 7 shots on 7 shots, with 13 rebounds – he was in a good mood after the match, after being treated routinely . He noted that, as unsightly as the shock suffered at Ibaka's head, it was normal for this to happen in a fight for a rebound, which was an important point for Toronto. The Raptors rank last among the remaining playoff teams, but Tuesday's effort was one of their best on the playoffs.

Leonard is well aware of the scoring burden he has assumed for the Raptors, but rejects the idea that it is accompanied by undue pressure.

"All life is under pressure, but at that moment, I'm having fun," Leonard told ESPN.com. "I've been in tough battles, I've played in the best teams, I've gone to the finals, I'm having fun, I think that's what." you have to do it, I have to enjoy it, enjoy this NBA, I do not want to look back and say, "Damn. I was too stressed or too stuck to entertain and play the game I have to play. "

"That's what I learned from my past and that's what I took in every game: go out and have fun, but fight and let everything try to win a game."

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