Game 3 in the series between the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat held this past Saturday ended in regulation for a change, with Toronto emerging victorious by four points to reclaim home-court advantage and seize a 2-1 series lead.
Both clubs suffered pretty huge blows to their respective lineups that night, and those untimely injuries could play a huge factor in the series moving forward. Nevertheless, the Raptors and the Heat have nearly been at par against one another, and Game 4 on Monday should be no different in spite of a couple of likely missing bodies.
Let’s find out below as for who has the edge entering the fourth contest of this thrilling Eastern Conference series. And for a couple of other upcoming NBA playoff matches that are definitely worth your time and betting effort, check out our Game 4 previews for Warriors vs. Blazers and Cavaliers vs. Hawks right after this.
For three-consecutive games heading into this weekend, the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat have taken their battles deep into overtime. Game 4 on Saturday snapped that streak of closely-contested bouts, but the 95-91 decision in favor of the Raptors that night showed that these two clubs are still fighting tooth-and-nail for some glorious NBA Playoffs action.
Starting point guard Kyle Lowry scored 33 points – 29 in the first half alone – in Game 3 to lead all Toronto players for the victory and the 2-1 series advantage over Miami.
Lowry has been known in past seasons to be a bane for the Raptors’ playoff hopes, shooting just 31 percent from the field in his playoff career and 34 percent in this series against the Heat through two games. In Game 4, however, the relatively bulky floor general was lights out, making 11 of his 19 shots from the floor.
While Lowry’s solid night was good and all, the injury to big man Jonas Valanciunas was not. The Lithuanian center racked up 16 points and 12 boards – his 10th-career playoff double-double – in just 22 minutes of action in Saturday’s game before he suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter. As frightening as the thought of his injury really is, the Raptors believe that this injury isn’t as serious as imagined, and not like what the Heat are similarly going through themselves (more on that later on).
Anyway, Toronto is still getting solid output from its other standout guard in DeMar Derozan, who scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in Game 3. DeRozan’s averaging 20 points and six boards per contest in this series, so his numbers are still in tip-top shape for some much-needed production from the perimeter should the Raptors find it hard to operate down low without Valanciunas in the lineup.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that the Raptors have pretty much owned Miami of late, as they have won seven of the last nine contests (6-3 ATS) against the boys from South Beach.
Betting on the Miami Heat
In spite of a game-high 38-point performance from Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat still ended up on the losing end of Game 3’s outcome. “Flash” put the entire Miami squad on his shoulders, and went toe-to-toe with Toronto’s Lowry in the scoring department as the two scored 29 points apiece before halftime.
However, Wade’s electric night was put to waste, and the Heat have even more troubling news to deal with before Game 4 tips off on Monday. Towering big man Hassan Whiteside suffered a nasty bump to his right knee in the second quarter of Saturday’s game, and is scheduled for an MRI this Sunday to get the low-down on the injury. Whiteside, who has a combined 22 points, 29 boards and five blocks through Games 1 and 2 of the series, finished with just six points before getting hurt in Game 3.
The injury to Miami’s soon-to-be free agent of a center is a tremendous loss, even more so than Toronto’s own situation of possibly playing without Valanciunas on the other end. For one, Valanciunas’ injury is deemed to be less serious than Whiteside’s. Another is the fact that the Heat need all the help in the paint they can get considering their struggles from the three-point line. On Saturday, they went a mere 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from downtown.
Then again, these recent battles between the Heat and the Raptors have been neck-and-neck, and Miami’s other back-court specialists haven’t totally tanked yet either. Goran Dragic (26 points on 50-percent shooting in Game 3) and Joe Johnson (16 points, seven boards) are still playing relatively well, so don’t count on Miami to go ice cold from the perimeter anytime soon.
Lastly, the Heat are still no pushovers on their own home court, having gone 8-2 SU/ATS in their last 10 games in the friendly confines of American Airlines Arena. Game 4 on Monday is bound to be a nail-biter once more, but the inevitable absence of Whiteside may be the team’s ultimate undoing when all is said and done.
Writer’s Prediction
The loss of Valanciunas proves to be far less grave than the loss of Whiteside, as the Raptors take Game 4 from the Heat, 99-91, for a commanding 3-1 series lead.
