On June 13, 2019, Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch their first NBA Championship in franchise history.
In the clinching Game 6, Kyle Lowry was the Raptors' top performer with 26 points, 15 of which came in a red-hot first quarter. Playing 42 minutes, he also went on to finish with 10 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals.
Pascal Siakam was the other key contributor, also scoring 26 points (10-17 FGs) to go along with his 10 rebounds and three assists in 46 minutes. Meanwhile, the bench duo of Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka added a combined 37 points (13-26 FGs).
For the Warriors, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were the stars but their performance was in vain in a competitive loss. Thompson, despite exiting the game with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter with a torn ACL in his left knee, finished with a game-high 30 points (8-12 FGs; 4-6 3Ps; 10-10 FTs) while Draymond Green recorded a massive triple-double of 11 points, 19 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Despite having a rough Game 6 with just 22 points (7-16 FGs; 1-5 3Ps), Kawhi Leonard was named Finals MVP for the second time in his career. In the six games, he averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals.
He became the seventh player in NBA history to win the NBA Finals MVP award twice and became only the third player after LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win the award on two different teams.
The Raptors title comes in the franchise's 24th season in the NBA and in their sixth consecutive playoff appearance (11 overall). It was also Toronto's first major pro sports championship in 26 years after the Toronto Blue Jays' World Series victory in 1993.
Head coach Nick Nurse became the ninth first-year head coach to win an NBA title. He became the first head coach ever to win the NBA championship and the NBA G-League Championship (2011, 2013).
Other notable events on June 13
- In 1989, Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 105-97 in Game 4 of the Finals. Thus, sweeping the defending champions en route to their first title in franchise history. With averages of 27.3 points and 6.0 assists, Joe Dumars was named Finals MVP.
- In 1993, Phoenix Suns defeated the Chicago Bulls 129-121 in triple-overtime in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It is only the second triple-overtime in NBA Finals history and the first since the Suns-Celtics Game 5 in 1976. Kevin Johnson set a record by playing 62 minutes while Dan Majerle set a record of most minutes without committing a foul with 59.
#OTD in 1997, Steve Kerr hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer for the Bulls to win their 5th championship! 🎯🏆 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/PeUcChiEhh
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 13, 2019
- In 1997, Steve Kerr knocked down a clutch shot to help the Chicago Bulls win Game 6 of the Finals 90-86 against the Utah Jazz and clinch their fifth championship in franchise history.
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