Kawhi Leonard has been cold-blooded all postseason long. Game 4 was no different.
The Toronto Raptors were clinging onto a 91-90 lead with 1:03 remaining against the Philadelphia 76ers when the consummate professional pulled up over the 6-foot-11 Joel Embiid and drained a crucial 3-pointer that gave the Raptors a four-point lead -- one they would never relinquish -- as they held off the Sixers 101-96 on Sunday afternoon to even the series at two games apiece.
Here's the shot if you missed it:
Clutch from Kawhi (39 PTS) to extend the @Raptors lead! #NBAPlayoffs#WeTheNorth 96#PhilaUnite 90
— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2019
38.5 left on #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/pnV5nnXPiT
Leonard finished with a game-high 39 points and 14 rebounds, offsetting Jimmy Butler's 29 points and 11 rebounds. Most importantly, he finally found the help that he had lacked over the last two games, with Marc Gasol contributing 16 points and Kyle Lowry posting a solid 14-point, seven-rebound, six-assist effort.
The Raptors were trailing this series 2-1 and falling into a 3-1 hole would have been just about insurmountable. There have been only 11 teams in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, with the last one being the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2016 NBA Finals.
Leonard came up big late, and helped prevent the Raptors from going back to Toronto down 3-1 in the series with Game 6 taking place at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Because of the former Finals MVP's late-game heroics, the series is now tied at 2-all with the Raptors in the driver's seat to take control in this series, especially with Games 5 and 7 in Toronto.