Written by Liam Boylan-Pett at SBNation.com
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 theToronto 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.
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.
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