The Raptors emerged victorious in a Game 3 that was mired by injuries. Both teams lost their starting centers and had to experiment with small lineups late. Thanks to a fantastic performance from Kyle Lowry, the Raptors managed to mask the absence of Jonas Valanciunas and got a valuable 95-91 win on the road to get homecourt advantage back. Lowry finished the game with 33 points while Dwyane Wade had 38 in the losing effort.
Raptors vs. Heat 2016 final score: Kyle Lowry breaks out of his slump, leads Toronto to 95-91 win
Lowry out-dueled Dwyane Wade and helped the Raptors get homecourt advantage back.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
After a standout performance late in Game 2, Jonas Valanciunas picked up where he had left off to start Game 3. His teammates made good on their promises to look for him more and the 24-year-old center delivered, finishing the first half with a double-double and making an impact on the defensive end. He was unstoppable once Hassan Whiteside had to leave the court with a knee injury, leaving Udonis Haslem, Amare Stoudemire and Josh McRoberts to battle with him.
Despite that great half by the Raptors' big man, the Heat remained within striking distance by using balanced scoring. Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Joe Johnson combined for 25 first-half points. It was clear that the news about Whiteside not being available to return shook Miami but they kept fighting. Toronto finished the second quarter strong but the lead at the half was just nine points.
The Raptors seemed on the way to an easy win, as they started out the third quarter strong and increased their lead to 13. Then Valanciunas went down with an ankle injury, which changed the game completely. As soon as the big man went to the locker room the Heat made their push, led by Dwayne Wade.
Wade finished the third period with 18 points on nine shots and the Heat put together a 28-19 quarter that allowed them to tie the game. They would have easily taken the lead if not for the 15 points Kyle Lowry contributed in the frame.
The two teams went small to start the final period and the Heat seemed more comfortable with it at first. After a while, the Raptors adjusted and with the help of DeMar DeRozan, were able to keep pace. The two teams traded both mistakes and buckets and the game went down to the wire, with Toronto holding a small lead.
Wade made an assist and a bucket to get the Heat to within just one with under a minute to go but Lowry got Toronto up three with a leaning jumper.
Wade once again drove for a bucket. Miami had to foul and DeRozan made both. Then Joe Johnson missed a three-pointer to tie it and DeRozan iced the game from the line. The Raptors got homecourt advantage back.
3 things we learned for the close win
Hassan Whiteside's injury looms large for the Heat
Whiteside suffered a right knee sprain while fighting for a rebound early in the second quarter. He was immediately subbed out and went to the locker to get X-rays that came back negative but was still held out for the rest of the game and it’s unclear if the injury will keep him out of Game 4.
If he misses time, that could be a huge blow for the Heat. Jonas Valanciunas also had to leave the game with injury, but his seems to be less serious. The Raptors’ center is having a breakout series and Whiteside is the only big man on Miami’s roster who has the size to contain him. Even if Valanciunas is also out, the Heat will miss Whiteside’s rim protection and the threat he poses as a dive man opening up things for shooters.
Miami has to hope he’s ready to go in Game 4 because it might be hard to beat Toronto without him.
Kyle Lowry broke out of his slump
The playoffs have been hard for Kyle Lowry. The All-Star was averaging 13 points on just 30 percent from the floor and a ridiculously low 16 percent on three-pointers. He did a good job creating for others, as his over seven assists show, but Toronto needs him to also score in order to be at their best and he simply wasn’t able to for most of the postseason.
In Game 3 he finally broke out of his slump. He finished the game with 33 points on 19 shots and stepped up his game greatly once Valanciunas went down. It was the type of performance a franchise player has to deliver when his team is in need. Now it will be interesting to see if it was a one-time thing or if it will carry over to the next game. If it does, the Raptors become prohibitive favorites to win the series.
Dwyane Wade is challenging Father Time
Wade is 34 years old and has a lot of miles in his legs. He’s not supposed to still be this good. He came into Game 3 averaging 19 points on 46 percent shooting to go with five rebounds and close to five assists. On Saturday he went off for 38 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists. It was a throwback performance.
The Heat needed more from Wade when Chris Bosh had to leave the team due to health issues and the future Hall-of-Famer has answered that call. At one point it seemed Wade could not lead a team deep into the playoffs as its best player anymore, but he's proving doubters wrong. He's still a superstar and as long as he's suiting up, the Heat are a threat.
* * *
See More:
