The Toronto Raptors take their Playoff hopes on the road to Miami for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening, facing the Heat with the series tied at 1-1.
The Raptors seem destined for a long series with the Heat after their first two meetings ended in overtime, the latest taking place at Air Canada Centre on Thursday night with Toronto notching the win, 96-92. DeMarre Carroll led the charge for the team with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, going 7 of 13 from the field, 3 of 6 from downtown and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. DeMar DeRozan finished the night with 20 points, hauling in 8 boards on a 9 of 24 shooting outing from the paint, while Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Despite the much-needed win, the Raptors struggled mightily from long range, where they shot 22.2%. The victory marked the first Semifinals win for the club since May 6th, 2001, when they also scored 96 points in defeating the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat, in spite of letting a commanding series lead slip through their fingers in the closing minutes of Thursday's game, saw all five of their starters put up double digits. Goran Dragic was the leading scorer with 20 points, adding 4 rebounds, facilitating 4 assists and shooting 8 of 12 from the field. Dwayne Wade and Joe Johnson each contributed 17 points, with Wade forcing a team-best 5 turnovers and Johnson struggling from beyond the arc, where he missed all six of his shot attempts. Hassan Whiteside had 13 points and 13 rebounds en route to a double-double as Miami return to America Airlines Arena, where they owned a record of 28-13 during their 2015-16 regular season campaign.
