Kyle Lowry leads Raptors past Celtics in Game 6, NBA Twitter marvels at double-OT thriller

Kyle Lowry's 33-point performance during the Toronto Raptors' 125-122 double-overtime victory against the Boston Celtics levelled the series 3-3, forcing a Game 7. Lowry stepped up for his team with crucial crunch-time shots, keeping the defending NBA champions in contention for the title this year. The NBA Twitter universe remained stunned at Kyle Lowry's performance, heaping him with praises during and after the game. 

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NBA Twitter universe reacts to Kyle Lowry's performance during Celtics vs Raptors game

Magic Johnson was the first among retired NBA stars to tweet about Lowry, impressed with his offensive play. "I love watching Kyle Lowry play! I call him the Little General because of his toughness, leadership, scoring ability, basketball IQ, and will to win," Johnson wrote, which followed a tweet about Lowry's 33 points, which outscored the Celtics star Jayson Tatum. DeMar DeRozan too, reacted to the Celtics vs Raptors game, simply adding a shoutout emoji and tagging his former teammate.

Dwyane Wade, Joel Embiid, Kevin Love were some of the other stars that reacted. Along with direct compliments to the 34-year-old Raptors guard, players immediately named the game an "instant classic" at the NBA bubble. "Instant classic. Best game of the bubble and it forces a game 7," Kevin Love wrote. 

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Celtics vs Raptors highlights: Kyle Lowry 3s help Raptors force Game 7

While the Celtics kept of establishing a lead, the Raptors pushed to a double-overtime. OG Anunoby's three-pointer gave Raptors the lead with one minute left in double OT, while Lowry's jumper with 11.7 seconds left sealed their victory on Wednesday (Thursday IST). "Game 7 to go to the Eastern Conference finals. All you can ask for is a chance," Toronto guard Fred VanVleet said during a postgame interview.

Norman Powell too, stepped up with a 23-point performance, which included a three-pointer with 39 seconds left. "Thank you, Norm. ... That was cool. We needed that," Lowry said. VanVleet too added that Powell saved the game. This was also the first time a team saved themselves from elimination with multiple OTs since 2009. The Celtics shot 44-of-100, while the Raptors shot 44-of-101. Game 7 is scheduled for Friday, 9:00 PM EST (Saturday, 6:30 AM IST). 

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• Kyle Lowry points: 33 PTS, 8 REBS, 6 ASTS
• Jaylen Brown points: 31 PTS, 16 REBS, 2 ASTS
• Jayson Tatum points: 29 PTS, 14 REBS, 9 ASTS
• Marcus Smart points: 23 PTS, 11 REBS, 10 ASTS
• Norman Powell points: 23 PTS, 2 REBS, 1 AST
• Fred VanVleet points: 21 PTS, 9 REBS, 7 ASTS
• Daniel Theirs points: 18 PTS, 7 REBS, 2 ASTS
• Pascal Siakam points: 12 PTS, 8 REBS, 6 ASTS
• OG Anunoby points: 13 PTS, 13 REBS, 1 AST
• Serge Ibaka points: 13 PTS, 3 REBS

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(Image credits: Toronto Raptors Twitter)