Boston Celtics defeat Toronto Raptors to seal spot in Eastern Conference finals

The Boston Celtics will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals after grinding out a 92-87 win over the Toronto Raptors in game seven of their semi-final series.

It was a team effort for the Celtics, who were much more focused without the ball after giving up multiple earlier games due to some sloppy defence.

There was little to separate the two teams throughout most of the game as momentum swung freely.

Boston’s late-game defensive energy ultimately proved too much for the Raptors, who were their own worst enemy as they gave up 18 turnovers in the narrow defeat.

Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with 29 points, while Fred Van Vleet posted 20 for Toronto.

Paul Millsap sparked a remarkable comeback victory for the Denver Nuggets, who upset the Los Angeles Clippers 111-105 to claw their way back to 3-2 in their Western Conference semi-final series.

After the Clippers dominated the contest through two and a half quarters, the 35-year-old Millsap took it upon himself to bring the Nuggets back to life with 14 points in the third.

His teammates capitalised on the sudden momentum shift in the fourth by outscoring the Clippers by 13 points down the stretch.

Jamal Murray contributed 26 points for Denver while Kawhi Leonard finished with 36 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers.