American Airlines Arena plays host to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals as the Toronto Raptors visit the Miami Heat on Monday night with a 2-1 series lead.
The Raptors emerged victorious on the road over the Heat on Saturday night, finding themselves two wins away from an Eastern Conference Finals date with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The win came at a price, however, as Jonas Valanciunas, who has been a boon for the club during the postseason with both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggling through shooting slumps, suffered a sprained right ankle during an awkward landing in the third quarter. Valanciunas has averaged 15 points and 12.1 rebounds through the Playoffs, but has now been ruled out for the remainder of the series with Miami.
Kyle Lowry finally found his offensive rhythm in Saturday’s contest, dropping a team-leading 33 points, shooting 11 of 19 from the paint, 5 of 8 from long range and nailing all 6 of his shot attempts from the free throw line. DeMar DeRozan finished with 19 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, going 6 of 17 from the field, while Valanciunas logged his third straight double-double on the back of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Heat didn’t escape the match-up unscathed, either, as Hassan Whiteside went down in the second quarter with a sprained MCL in his right knee, the same injury that felled Stephen Curry two weeks ago. Whiteside scored 6 points in Game 3 prior to leaving the court and is listed as day-to-day.
Dwayne Wade had another impressive outing for the club, putting up 38 points, hauling in 8 rebounds and facilitating 4 assists, draining 4 three-pointers along the way and going a perfect 8 for 8 from the charity stripe. The 4 triples from Wade were the only shots the entire unit made from beyond the arc, as Miami finished 4 of 18 from deep. Goran Dragic contributed 12 points and forced 5 turnovers as the Heat will surely be motivated to come out ahead in Monday’s contest, with the series shifting back to Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night for Game 5.
