Kawhi Leonard's 3-pointer over Joel Embiid in the closing minute of Game 4 reminded Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell of one of his idols.
“Kobe — that man’s Kobe,” Powell told Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. “I was like, ‘It’s good, it’s good.’ That’s what I was saying the whole time after he made that. Even when it went up, man. Little side-step fadeaway, nothing but net.
"That’s Kobe right there, man.”
The shot basically won the Toronto Raptors the game, as it put them ahead 94-90 with 1:01 to play. After Tobias Harris missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, the Philadelphia 76ers were forced to intentionally foul the Raptors the rest of the way.
The Raptors ended up winning by a final score of 101-96.
KAWHI NOT! 🔥 #WeTheNorth | #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/kX3tXcUPwD
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) May 5, 2019
Leonard did it all for the Raptors in their Game 4 victory. Not only did he score a game-high 39 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line, he pulled down 14 rebounds and dished out five assists.
That put Leonard in rarefied air, with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant being the only other players who have ever posted those numbers in a playoff game.
Leonard received plenty of praise for his performance, both from his teammates and players on the 76ers.
Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown even made the Bryant comparison post-game.
"The stuff that [Leonard] can do to create his own shot is Kobe-like for me," he said. "He's just so gifted in relation to doing that."
Leonard is now averaging 38.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game against the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He'll have an opportunity to add to those numbers on Tuesday, when the Raptors host the 76ers for Game 5 in Toronto.