The Miami Heat had no qualms brushing aside Kyle Lowry's heroics. After Lowry went from scapegoat to hero in an instant by hitting a game-tying, half-court heave a the buzzer to force overtime, the Heat overpowered the Toronto Raptors in the extra frame. Miami scored the first eight points of overtime and held on down the stretch for a 102-96 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
Heat vs. Raptors 2016 final score: Miami survives Kyle Lowry buzzer-beater to take down Toronto in Game 1
Kyle Lowry hit a half-courter to force overtime, but the Heat held on in the extra frame for a 102-96 win.
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Goran Dragic scored 26 points to lead the Heat, and Dwyane Wade added 24 points and six rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan did his best to put the Raptors on his back in the fourth quarter, but without much help from Lowry, his 22 points weren't enough to carry Toronto to a win. It was their fourth consecutive Game 1 playoff loss at home. The Raptors will have a chance to even the series on Thursday in Toronto.
Neither team could find a rhythm in the first half as the Raptors took a 43-41 lead after a sloppy first half. Lowry's playoff struggles continued as he failed to score a point in the first two quarters. Jonas Valanciunas carried the Raptors in the first with 14 points and six rebounds.
Wade and Dragic struggled in the first half, but came out firing in the third quarter as both teams picked up their flow offensively. The Heat led 68-63 heading into the fourth, where Dragic continued to pour it on. He nailed two huge buckets as the Heat extended their lead to 10 with less than seven minutes to play, but the Raptors hung around and pulled to within four with 2:43 left thanks to some big DeRozan buckets. Neither team could buy a bucket down the stretch, however, as both teams went scoreless over the next 90 seconds. A Cory Joseph bucket pulled the Raptors to within two, but Wade found Dragic in the corner on the next possession, and Dragic nailed a dagger three to give the Heat a five-point lead. It seemed the Heat were going to hold on, but then Lowry happened.
The buzzer-beater was for naught, however, as the Raptors failed to capitalize on Lowry’s shot. The Heat dominated the extra frame and withstood yet another furious Raptors run in the final minute as they held on for a six-point win.
Here are three things we learned:
Goran Dragic is turning into everything the Heat wanted him to be
It's not that Dragic was playing poorly all year, but he makes the Heat an extremely dangerous team when he's playing at the level he did in Game 7 against the Charlotte Hornets and in Game 1 against the Raptors on Tuesday. He put the Heat on his back against the Raptors, carrying the offensive burden in the second half when the Heat finally executed after a poor first half. He ended the night 10-of-20 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep, and most importantly, he made shots in big moments.
DRAGIC https://t.co/6wgE2LAiFR
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 4, 2016
Dragic was the best player on the court on Tuesday night. If he keeps it up, the Heat are going to have no trouble taking care of the Raptors.
The Raptors need Kyle Lowry
Despite his heroics, Lowry still has a lot of work to do. His shooting has been miserable this postseason. It’s on DeRozan, who has had some bad playoff performances, too, but Lowry has consistently failed to play up to the level he’s capable of. He only had seven points on 3-of-13 shooting on Tuesday. In the postseason he’s 8-of-50 from three — he shot 38.8 percent in the regular season. Lowry sat out a few games down the stretch to rest an elbow injury, but he has claimed throughout the playoffs that the elbow injury isn’t affecting his shooting. Whether that’s true or not, the Raptors need Lowry to find his stroke — they don’t stand a chance if he can’t.
If this series is going to be anything like the second half and overtime, buckle up
Both teams have room to improve. Whether it's Lowry's game or the Heat's sluggish first half, neither team should be content with the way they played for 48 minutes. The Heat, to their credit, did shoot 8-of-11 from deep and handled the plodding half court offense of the Raptors quite well, but their half court offense was nonexistent at times, too. Aside from Dragic and Wade making phenomenal plays, they struggled to set up effective sets.
Both teams looked much better in the second half, playing with more intensity and purpose. The game went from looking like a regular season dud, to a playoff-level slugfest. Add in a buzzer beater that almost killed Wade, and a hectic overtime — this series should continue to be a blast.
* * *
See More:
