Los Angeles: The Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers both forced Game Sevens in their NBA second round playoff series on Friday with a pair of bounce-back wins to stave off elimination.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points while Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid also had spirited performances as the 76ers survived with a 112-101 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game Six.
Damian Lillard scored 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter, and the Trail Blazers forced game seven in their series with Denver with a 119-108 win. Denver went in front by as much as 10 points before getting blasted by the Trail Blazers in the second half.
CJ McCollum added 30 points, and Rodney Hood came off the bench to score a career playoff high 25 for Portland, who havent advanced to the NBA final four in 19 years.
Butler of the the 76ers also had six rebounds and Embiid finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who kept their season alive by squaring the best-of-seven Eastern Conference second round series at 3-3.
Simmons rebounded to deliver 21 points after struggling mightily in game five with just seven points and five turnovers. His game six total was more than his combined points total of games five and four.
Franchise cornerstone Embiid, who was listed as a probable starter due to a sore knee, also got back on track after making eight turnovers in game five.
The winner-take-all contest will be Sunday in Toronto with the victor advancing to face the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Game one of the Eastern Conference finals is slated for Wednesday. Tobias Harris contributed 16 points, and JJ Redick and Mike Scott had 11 each for the Sixers.
