Here we go; the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors will finally be locking horns for Game 1 of their second-round series matchup. Both clubs were forced to a sudden-death Game 7 during the opening round, and it’s worth noting that fatigue could actually become a factor tonight or in the entire series overall. Nevertheless, that won’t stop the Heat or Raptors from providing us one hell of a match tonight. Who will deliver the first blow?
Miami enters this game fresh off a demolition of the Hornets in Game 7, 106-73. Everyone got it going in that game, as the Heat shot 48.3 percent from the field and had five players score in double-digits. Leading the way was Goran Dragic, who went 11-of-17 from the field for a game-high 25 points. He also managed to add six rebounds and four assists under his belt.
Now, the Heat will obviously look to replicate that performance in tonight’s opener, and defense ought to be the main priority. After all, they’ll be facing Toronto’s dynamic backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who both can get hot at any given moment. Those two, however, have been far from being consistent this postseason. Nevertheless, Miami still can’t show any signs of complacency.
That said, Hassan Whiteside needs to continue what he’s been doing all season long: blocking shots. He led the league in blocks (3.7) in the regular season, and has continued to do so in the playoffs. During their seven-game series with the Hornets, the 26-year-old center is averaging 3.4 blocks. Whiteside’s also imposed his will on the opposite end of the court as he’s posting 13.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest in that same stretch.
On offense, the Heat can look to the trio of Dragic, Luol Deng and Dwyane Wade to light up the Raps from the get-go. Dragic and Deng have both been very productive in the previous seven games, tallying 14.1 and 19.0 points, respectively.
Wade, on the other hand, has been playing sensational. He is racking up almost 20 points per game during the first round. And more importantly, he’s delivered the goods in crunch time for the Heat. The entire world saw that during his brilliant performance in Game 6. Yes, Wade’s still got it, folks.
Miami is 3-7 SU and 2-8 ATS in its last 10 road games.
Betting on the Toronto Raptors
Finally, the Raptors have made it past the first round for the first time in 15 years after beating the Pacers team in Sunday night’s do-or-die Game 7, 89-84.
Well, that win wasn’t pretty, though. Their two premier stars in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continued to shoot bricks, as both shot below 35 percent from the field. But DeRozan, in particular, refused to let his shooting slump get the better of him. He made his presence by getting to the charity stripe, where he made all of his nine attempts. And by the end of the game, DeRozan managed to put up a game-high of 30 points.
Moving forward, this second-round series with the Heat could be a different story for DeRozan. He’s averaging 29.3 points on 48.8 percent shooting across four regular-season meetings with Miami. Don’t be surprised to see a huge night from him in tonight’s opener.
Lowry, meanwhile, has yet to regain his true form, as he’s only tallying 13.9 points this postseason. Despite this, the stout point guard has done a relatively solid job in getting his other teammates going with 7.6 dimes per game.
Speaking of teammates, the tandem of Jonas Valanciunas and Cory Joseph should be able to provide some trouble to the opposing defense. Both have played an integral part in the seven-game series with the Pacers, averaging 24.3 points combined.
Toronto is 8-2 SU and 5-5 ATS in its previous 10 home games. The Raps also won their regular-season series with Miami, 3-1.
