The Toronto Raptors defeated the Miami Heat, 95-91, on Saturday at American Airlines Arena to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Raptors star Kyle Lowry led the way with an impressive 33 points, hitting five three-pointers and hitting all six of his free throws en route to the team’s close victory. After an underwhelming first round, the All-Star point guard was able to take control in Miami, producing a major portion of his team’s offensive output. Also dominating was center Jonas Valanciunas, who posted 16 points and 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes of play, due to an ankle injury which forced him out after the 1st half. X-rays were negative. While two of Toronto’s stars had big nights, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan’s struggles continued. “The Quadruple Capital” was just 6-for-17 from the field on the night, continuing an underwhelming stretch of playoff play.
Despire the loss, Miami star Dwyane Wade led the game with 38 points. Wade also had eight rebounds and four assists, taking control for his team in the first home matchup of the semifinals. The rest of the team was underwhelming, however, as no other member of the Heat scored more than 12. Star big Hassan Whiteside saw a particularly disappointing eight minutes and just six points off the bench.
Whiteside exited early in the second quarter after falling awkwardly and twisting his right knee, which had already given him trouble earlier in the series. The Heat have not provided a diagnosis, but Whiteside underwent precautionary X-rays, which returned negative. The injury certainly did not appear to be bone-related, though, so an MRI will likely be necessary to determine if Whiteside sustained any ligament damage.
Game 4 will once again see the two teams take the court in Miami.
