Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Raptors tie Heat 1-1
Raptors tie Heat 1-1 after overtime win in Game 2
The Raptors overcame a late fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game and send it to overtime for the second straight game, marking just the third time in history we’ve seen back-to-back games go to overtime in a seven-game series. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan didn’t bring their A-game again and the Raptors needed a big fourth quarter from Jonas Valanciunas to get the 96-92 win. But the Heat got what they needed in Toronto, which is a split, although they’re not going to be happy that they let Game 2 slip through the cracks.
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DeMarre Carroll led the way with 21 points, five rebounds, four steals and three 3-pointers on 7-of-13 shooting. This was easily his best game of the playoffs and he played 40 minutes, as well. Valanciunas was quiet through three quarters, but got hot in the fourth quarter and put his team on his shoulders. He finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and a block on 7-of-9 shooting, and also had six offensive rebounds, many of which were huge putbacks in a tight game. Norman Powell started again, but played just nine minutes and missed all four of his shots. He’s scored just four total points in the two games and it’s hard to see him breaking out anytime soon.
Now to the struggling Toronto All-Stars – DeRozan and Lowry. DeRozan hit just 9-of-24 shots and the 85 percent free throw shooter looked really uncomfortable at the line, hitting just 2-of-8 of them. He finished with 20 points, eight boards and three steals, but the Raptors are going to need him to figure things out if they’re going to get wins in Miami. Maybe his thumb is bothering him, but it looked more like a case of nerves more than anything else. He was 9-of-22 in Game 1, 10-of-32 in Game 7 against the Pacers, and 3-of-13 in Game 6 of that series.
Lowry hit just 7-of-22 shots, 1-of-7 3-pointers and 3-of-6 free throws for 18 points, six assists and three steals. He was 3-of-13 in Game 1, 5-of-14 in Game 7 against the Pacers, 4-of-14 in Game 6 and 3-of-11 in Game 5. He’s definitely struggling, but also made some big shots late in this game and in overtime that possibly helped his confidence. Maybe his shot will finally come together for Game 3 in Miami, but he’s pretty tough to trust right now.
Not much happened off the bench, as Patrick Patterson was quiet in 17 minutes, Bismack Biyombo did nothing in 14 minutes, and Cory Joseph had just eight points and four assists in 26 minutes. Terrence Ross led the bench with 10 points, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer in the win. The Raptors hit just 4-of-18 3-pointers and 14-of-26 free throws as a team, so they’re fortunate to have gotten out of this one with the win.
For the Heat, Goran Dragic led a balanced attack with 20 points, four assists and two 3-pointers on 8-of-12 shooting. He also hit the 3-pointer that sent the game to OT, as well as took eight stitches to his mouth after getting popped by a DeRozan elbow. He’s fine. Joe Johnson, who disappeared late, had 17 points, five boards and four assists, and Dwyane Wade also had 17 points to go with six boards, three assists and also hit a crucial 3-pointer with time winding down that allowed for Dragic’s heroic 3-pointer later. Wade also had five turnovers and took a couple brutal shots to his already sore left knee. No worries though, as he played through it until the end. Hassan Whiteside was money again with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and three blocks on 5-of-7 shooting. The Heat bench offered just a total of 13 points, led by Josh Richardson’s five. The Heat missed their first five shots in overtime and never recovered.
News & Notes
Stephen Curry (knee) is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s Game 3 at Portland and it would be shocking to see him play. In fact, if I’m the Warriors, I’m not even considering playing him until the Warriors lose a game to the Blazers. But there appears to be a decent chance he’ll play in Game 4 on Monday.
John Wall had minor surgery on both knees on Thursday but is expected to be ready to go for the start of the season for the Wizards.
Frank Vogel is out as the Pacers head coach. He’s one of the better head-coaching candidates out there and it will be surprising if he doesn’t immediately start interviewing for a new job, although it is entirely possible he takes a year off and tries to get back into the head-coaching ranks a year from now.
Friday brings us a two-game slate:
Cavaliers @ Hawks – 7 p.m. on ESPN
Spurs @ Thunder – 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
There don’t appear to be any serious injury concerns for any of the four teams in action tonight.
Saturday
Raptors @ Heat – 5 p.m. on ESPN
Warriors @ Blazers – 8:30 p.m. on ABC
Sunday
Cavaliers @ Hawks – 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Spurs @ Thunder – 8 p.m. on TNT
