Just survive somehow: Shaky Raptors outlast Heat, win Game 2 in OT
For most of Game 2, the Toronto Raptors’ only reliable sources of offense were Miami Heat turnovers and praying that Jonas Valanciunas could pick up his All-Star shooting guards’ garbage. They missed 12 free throws and 14 3-pointers in an effort that didn’t inspire much confidence that they — and especially Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan — had exorcised the demons plaguing them.
“It’s been ugly,” DeRozan granted after the game.
“Ug-lee,” Lowry added.
On Thursday, though, it was enough to win. When you’re already down a game in the second round of the playoffs, that beats the alternative.
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The Raptors survived 30 more missed shots from their stars to draw even, outlasting the Heat 96-92 in overtime behind 21 points from forward DeMarre Carroll and a dominant late-game performance on the interior by Valanciunas.
After impressing in Toronto’s Game 1 loss, the Lithuanian 7-footer scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds after the third quarter, helping carry a Raptors team that looked to be in imminent danger of falling down 0-2. He did the bulk of his damage without having plays dialed up for him, bulling his way to the rim for tip-ins, and taking advantage of what opportunities he got against counterpart Hassan Whiteside.
“You can obviously see who’s the dominant big out there when it comes to rebounding, scoring,” DeRozan said. “JV’s doing a lot for us. We need him to continue to keep doing that.”
That Valanciunas got the opportunity to make a difference late — most notably on the multiple-effort offensive rebound and putback that redeemed two missed free throws by DeRozan to give Toronto an 82-80 lead with 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, and a pick-and-pop jumper to put the Raptors up four midway through OT — shows how much coach Dwane Casey’s faith in his young big man has grown.
“He’s gotten better in all phases of his game the entire year,” Casey said. “Again, he still has some growth to go, some areas he can get better in, as all young players do. But his future is going to be bright. He’s learning every day.”
Erik Spoelstra’s club bounced back from a brutal first quarter marred by 11 turnovers that led to 14 Raptors points. As they did after watching Lowry’s miracle half-court heave force overtime in Game 1, the Heat weathered the storm thanks to steady contributions from veterans Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson and Goran Dragic, who would finish with a team-high 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and eight stitches in his lower lip.
With the ever-present threat of Whiteside (13 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, three blocks, at least twice as many altered or discouraged shots) lurking in the paint, a Raptors team that had played with pace, energy and ball movement in the early going often resembled a boxer searching for a safe distance from which to throw jabs and the timing to slip inside the opponent’s reach to try to go to work. They couldn’t, scoring just 34 points in the second and third quarters, with only two assists on 14 field goals.
A 7-0 run put Miami up 77-70 with 6:35 left in the fourth, and left the fans in attendance at the Air Canada Centre feeling that familiar sinking sensation in the pits of their stomachs: here we go again. The Raptors would fight back, though, led by Valanciunas’ dogged efforts against a seemingly exhausted Whiteside.
“He’s a load,” said Wade (17 points on 7-for-17 shooting, six rebounds, three assists) about Valanciunas. “He’s a very physical guy. Loves to bang. He loves that game down there. We’ve got to be able to do a better job on him rebounding the ball. We’ve got to try to move him a little bit. If they get offensive rebounds, they’re a tough team to beat.”
Toronto also got a couple of awfully well-timed makes for Lowry, who had gone just 2-for-13 since the first quarter, but managed to bracket a stunning Wade 3 with a pair of clutch jumpers that gave Toronto a three-point lead with 14.9 seconds left.
Hey, did somebody say something about three points?
Dragic’s pure triple — aided by a blown switch that both Carroll and Cory Joseph seemed to think was the other’s fault — knotted the score at 86 with 10.5 ticks remaining. A very laissez-faire Lowry attempt at a buzzer-beating prayer caught nothing but air, meaning a second-straight overtime game. This time, though, it was Toronto that took control of the extra session, scoring the first six points of OT and holding Miami scoreless until the final 23 seconds to come away with the win.
Lowry finished with 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting — a marked improvement from his dismal Game 1, but still poor enough to earn him yet another grim postseason distinction:
Lowry is 1st player in shot clock era with 9 straight playoff games shooting under 40% while taking 10 or more shots.
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) May 6, 2016
“[My confidence is] there,” Lowry said. “I just wanted to come out here and be myself. I know I didn’t make as many shots, but I took the shots that I would normally take, and the next game, they’re for sure going to fall.”
DeRozan struggled just as much, scoring 20 points on 9-for-24 shooting and going just 2-for-8 from the foul line, as he battled an injured thumb on his shooting hand. Both offered what they could in other facets — Lowry with six assists, DeRozan with eight boards, each with three steals — and thanks to pals Carroll, Valanciunas and Terrence Ross picking up the scoring slack, that was enough.
“I’m encouraged. We’ve got to take it,” Casey said. “We can harp on the negatives and beat that drum, beat it to death. But we’re finding other ways to win, and that’s very encouraging. Those guys, they’re not going anywhere, so we’ve got to continue to go with them, find ways to help them get easier shots and hopefully get their rhythm, and play from there. There’s other ways to win a game other than shooting the basketball.”
Including, of course, forcing 21 Miami turnovers.
“I feel like if we don’t turn the ball over 20-something times, we’ll be fine,” Wade said. “[…] In a sense, we feel like we gave one up. But they won the game. They took the game from us.”
The Heat head home with a split and home-court advantage, but knowing they’ve missed a chance. The Raptors leave Toronto having pulled even, but knowing they’ve yet to put together even one steady half in this series, and that finding other ways to win while your stars lay brick is a hard way to live, especially on the road.
The Raptors can be better, and they believe the sun will come out tomorrow. Until it does, they have to keep dancing through the raindrops.
“It’s a grind, man,” DeRozan said. “Honestly. We knew none of it was going to be pretty. None of it’s going to come out pretty. As long as we can come out with a W, it really doesn’t matter how we’re playing. It’s going to come.”
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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