TORONTO – Kawhi Leonard bounced, bounced, bounced, bounced the Philadelphia 76ers out of the playoffs.
Leonard hit a shot from the corner over Joel Embiid at the buzzer that bounced off the rim four times before falling to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-90 victory over the 76ers on Sunday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. It was the first winning buzzer-beater in a Game 7 in NBA history.
"It was great," Leonard said. "That's something I never experienced before: Game 7, a game-winning shot. It was a blessing to be able to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment."
After Philadelphia's Jimmy Butler tied it with a driving layup with 4.2 seconds left, Toronto used its final timeout to draw up a play for Leonard, who dribbled toward the right corner and launched the high-arching shot.
It bounced to the top of the backboard, hit the near side of the rim again, then the other side twice before going through, setting off a wild celebration.
The Raptors, who made it to the conference finals for the second time in four seasons, will open the Eastern finals Wednesday at Milwaukee.
"It's tough," Butler said. "Nobody likes to lose, not that way."
Leonard scored 41 points on 16-for-39 shooting.