TORONTO — It was a brief cameo at the end of a blowout win, but it meant everything to Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry.
The six-time All-Star got a rousing standing ovation when he checked in for the final 1:57 of Philadelphia's 115-102 win at Toronto on Monday night.
It could be the final appearance the 39-year-old makes in the city where he spent nine seasons and won the 2019 NBA championship.
“I got an opportunity to experience probably one of the greatest basketball moments of my personal career,” said Lowry, who left with the game ball after making his first appearance since Dec. 23 against Brooklyn.
With the home team facing a double-digit deficit most of the night, the crowd of 18,127 started chanting “We want Lowry!” in the fourth quarter.
They erupted when 76ers coach Nick Nurse, who led Toronto to their 2019 title, called on Lowry to replace Tyrese Maxey.
“I thought they didn’t think I was really going to do it, but I was planning on it there and got a good moment to do it,” Nurse said of the crowd’s reaction. “It was nice to be able to kind of bring him in on his own there.”
Lowry airballed a 3-pointer on his first attempt and missed the three shots he took, all from distance.
“I called a play for him right out of the timeout and he probably wasn’t quite ready for that one,” Nurse said. “Too bad that one didn’t go in because he had it on line.”
Lowry is in his 20th NBA season. He arrived to Sunday’s game at Toronto wearing an Auston Matthews Maple Leafs hockey jersey, and reiterated his plan to eventually sign a one-day contract so he can retire as a Raptor.
“That has not changed,” Lowry said Sunday.
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