After tying the series up at 1-1 with a Game 2 victory, the Toronto Raptors will take their talents to South Beach. Will the Raptors score their second win in a row? Or will Miami bounce back from a frustrating loss with a resounding victory? Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our breakdown of Penguins vs. Capitals.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan’s jump shots remain busted, but the Raptors managed to make timely hits on their way to a 96-92 overtime win on Thursday.
Lowry and DeRozan had 18 and 20 points, respectively, in Game 2, on an inefficient 16-for-46 shooting from the field. Jonas Valanciunas, meanwhile, had 15 points and 12 boards. The Lithuanian center didn’t have a better outing than he did in the Game 1, wherein he posted 24 points and 14 points, but still provided moments showing he could dominate Miami’s Hassan Whiteside. He had 11 points in the fourth period and overtime.Valanciunas’ confidence moving forward will only grow with a win finally in the bag of Toronto.
Valanciunas’ relatively low output also has something to do with DeMarre Carroll becoming a factor. Carroll easily had his best outing of the postseason, pouring on 21 points on 7-for-13 from the floor with three three-pointers and four steals. Carroll brings a lot to the table on both ends of the floor. He’ll be looking to build on his breakout performance come Game 3.
The Raptors also made up for their top two gunners’ struggles in Game 2 by playing intense defense, the kind that made Miami commit 21 turnovers. The Raptors converted those errors to 24 points, 10 more than the Heat.
Where the Raptors need to improve is on their free throw shooting. They shot just 53.8 percent or 14-for-26 from the charity stripe.
The under is 6-0 in Toronto’s last six road games.
Betting on the Miami Heat
Playing in front of their home crowd this Saturday should be a nice way for the Heat to forget their bitter Game 2 loss. The Heat, who had a seven-point lead in the fourth period erased by the Raptors, are 9-1 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games.
Goran Dragic led the team on Thursday with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, chipped in 17 points with six boards and three assists. The tandem got help from Joe Johnson, who contributed 17 points. Johnson and the Heat, however, went cold in overtime, wherein they missed their first six shots and compiled just six points.
The Heat’s defense fared well despite the loss, limiting Toronto to only 41.9% shooting. They will have to be more honest defensively, though, as Miami can’t risk sending DeRozan and company to the foul line several times.
The Heat have to take care of the leather much better too. As mentioned earlier, they racked up a ton of turnovers that led to some easy points for Toronto.
