The Toronto Raptors saw OG Anunoby put up some fantastic numbers in their Game 3 clash against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, but they were unable to close the door on a win thanks to spectacular mismanagement late in this game. An Embiid dagger to seal the win was enough to give Philly a commanding 3-0 lead.
Anunoby was brilliant, as his showing absolved him of any blame. Not only did he score 26 points on 8-18 shooting and 4-9 from 3-point range while providing his usual elite brand of defense, but he was the only one of Toronto’s collection of stars who was willing and able to make big shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Unfortunately, Anunoby’s late-game heroics were unable to salvage a win as they did in the Boston bubble series. A virtuoso performance had to be wanted because his teammates were unable to corral Embiid or take advantage of a 76ers lineup that lost James Harden due to fouling out.
The mood in the postgame press conference was understandably morose and gloomy, as Anunoby said that it “doesn’t matter” if he feels good because the team lost. Anunoby and Toronto are just one win away from heading home with as many postseason wins as Houston and Orlando.
"I feel alright but we keep losing, so it doesn't matter" - OG Anunoby's big 2022 playoff quote not quite the same as 2020
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) April 21, 2022
Toronto Raptors: OG Anunoby isn’t feeling well.
There are a multitude of reasons why the Raptors lost, but Anunoby is not one of them. Fred VanVleet completely ran out of gas late in this game and Pascal Siakam looked like the guy we saw in the bubble instead of the dominant force we have become accustomed to over the years.
If anything, Anunoby proved that he can be a featured scoring option against a quality opponent when names like Barnes go down with injuries. If you played one of the best games of your entire career given the circumstances and you still got toasted by Embiid in the end, you’d be just as irritated as OG.
EMBIID FOR THREE WITH 0.7 LEFT IN OT 😱 pic.twitter.com/mGayMHD6W1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 21, 2022
If the Raptors end up winning the series, it would quite literally be unprecedented, as no team has even gone down 3-0 in a best of seven series and still come back to win. With two more of the hypothetical four remaining games left in Philly, things are looking fairly grim for Toronto.
The game plan for success has to involve leaning on Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa considering what we’ve seen from them in this series. Things aren’t exactly looking amazing in Toronto right now, but making sure Anunoby gets a featured role is one of the few remaining paths to victory.