Kyle Lowry, Raptors Outlast Celtics in Epic 2OT Thriller to Force Game 7

A year ago, Kawhi Leonard hit a historic buzzer-beater to give the Toronto Raptors a Game 7 win in their second-round series.

The Raptors will hope a new star steps up in 2020.

Kyle Lowry scored 33 points and Fred Vanvleet added 21, leading the Raptors to a thrilling 125-122 double-overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday to extend their second-round series to a seventh game.

The hard-fought, competitive contest saw eight players (four on each team) play over 50 minutes, with Pascal Siakam on the floor for a game-high 54.

Jaylen Brown had a team-high 31 points for the Celtics, while Marcus Smart (23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) turned in a triple-double.

Notable Stats

Raptors

G Kyle Lowry: 33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

G Fred VanVleet: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

F Pascal Siakam: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals

G Norman Powell: 23 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block

Celtics

F Jayson Tatum: 29 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

F Jaylen Brown: 31 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

G Marcus Smart: 23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal

Raptors Need More from Siakam; Can He Give It?

These playoffs have not been a great showcase for Siakam proving he can be the top player on a championship contender. He's averaging just 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds for the series and has shot a ghastly 12.9 percent from three-point range.

Making matters worse, Siakam's overuse of his post spin has become so noticeable that it's an NBA Twitter sensation. Imagine how ineffective it's actually been on the court.

The Raptors won a championship last season thanks to the singular brilliance of Kawhi Leonard (and the injury decimation of the Golden State Warriors). Kawhi's plying his trade for the Los Angeles Clippers now, leaving the Raptors without an obvious go-to option. Wednesday's game went into double overtime in part because Norman Powell was left to play iso ball as the clock drained down.

Siakam's shown exponential growth throughout his NBA career. It's possible he gets to that next level, but he's not there right now. The role players around Siakam have been able to step up and help force this series to seven games. The margin for error evaporates in a Game 7, though.

It's all about how far your best player can take you. A year ago in the second round, Leonard showed the world he might be the league's best player. Siakam will need a star-making performance for the Raptors to advance.

On the Growth of Marcus Smart

There is a world in the not-too-distant past where a Marcus Smart playoff triple-double seemed like a ridiculous notion. A few years into his career, there were some who understandably wrote Smart off as a player who might be too limited offensively to justify being on the court. Smart was statistically one of the worst shooters in NBA history; his career 37.3 field goal-percentage still ranks as one of the worst given his overall volume of shots. For all his brilliance and intensity on the defensive end, that level of limitation is concerning.

But Smart has developed a three-ball solid enough defenses have to respect it, and his 10 assists Wednesday are further evidence of his development. There are still times when Smart is a significant minus on the offensive end. He was perhaps the Celtics' worst offensive player in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

That said, Smart's turned it up a notch against Toronto and is arguably playing the best basketball of his career. If there is a version of Smart that could average 16-7-5 with 43.1 percent shooting from three, as he's doing in this series, that's a borderline All-NBA talent.

Even a slightly lesser version of that player would be vital in pushing the Celtics to a Finals berth with Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker leading the way offensively.