Norman Powell Forces Game Seven And Sets New Toronto Raptors Franchise Record

The Toronto Raptors have forced a deciding game seven against the Boston Celtics care of a 125-122 double-overtime victory. One of the key points of the Raptors’ victory was how Norman Powell set a new franchise record.

It was a hard-fought game for both teams as the Celtics and Raptors combined for 35 points in double overtime. The Raptors were able to edge the Celtics 27 to 24 beyond the regulation period.

Shooting six from eleven from the field, Powell’s 23 points consisted of a Toronto record of 10 points in overtime. This is the most scored in a playoff overtime game by any Raptor.

"Thank you, Norm. ... That was cool. We needed that," Lowry said by way of ESPN.

The overtime thriller included a clutch basket from Lowry who delivered a contested mid-range fadeaway jumper with 11.7 seconds left on the clock that put the Raptors ahead by four. The All-Star finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.

It was a difficult loss for the Celtics as several players such as Jaylen Brown stepped up big despite falling short of the win.

"We had a lot of opportunities down the stretch and we didn't take care of the all as good as we needed to," Brown said.

Despite scoring 31 big points and grabbing 16 rebounds, Brown and the rest of the Celtics were unable to close out the close match.

"That's fine. We're heading into a Game 7. We feel good about ourselves," Brown added.

This will be the first time for the Raptors to enter a game seven since their 2019 playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. That was one of the more iconic moments in franchise history as Kawhi Leonard delivered a buzzer-beating jumper that bounced several times on the ring before going through the hoop.

The unique bubble setup has provided intense playoff basketball despite the unprecedented times. With players such as Powell stepping up for the Raptors, it will be interesting to see how game seven will play out between these high-level teams.