Raptors survive in 2 OTs

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Toronto Raptors faced a sizable early deficit. They trailed in the fourth quarter. And again in the first overtime. And again in the second overtime.

Exhausted and on the brink, the reigning NBA champions rose to the moment.

Next up: Game 7, for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals.

OG Anunoby — the hero of Game 3 with a buzzer-beating 3 — put the Raptors ahead to stay with a 3pointer with just under a minute left in double overtime, Kyle Lowry got an acrobatic jumper to fall with 11.7 seconds left and the Raptors beat the Celtics, 125-122, in Game 6 on Wednesday night.

Lowry scored 33 points in 53 minutes for Toronto. Norman Powell scored 23, including a pair of free throws with 5.0 seconds remaining. Fred VanVleet scored 21 points for the Raptors, who needed the win to extend their season, and Anunoby scored 13 points with 13 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown notched 31 points and 16 rebounds for the Celtics, who had their starters on the floor — without a single sub — for the final 22-plus minutes, going back to 23.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, with 14 rebounds and nine assists. Marcus Smart poured in 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds with 10 assists, and missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with three seconds left in the second extra session.

CLIPPERS TOP NUGGETS

Kawhi Leonard finished an assist shy of his first playoff triple-double and the Clippers, up 3-1 in the series, beat the Nuggets, 96-85, in Game 4 to move a step closer to their first Western Conference finals.