Written by Matt Moore at CBSSports.com
If ever there was a time for Kyle Lowry to stand up and carry the Raptors, it was Game 3 vs. the Heat. On the road where Miami has been so good this year, with Jonas Valanciunas out with an ankle injury, and with DeMar DeRozan once again stinking up the entire arena (6-of-17 shooting), the Raptors needed a takeover from their best player and he delivered. Lowry scored 29 of his 33 points in the second half to carry Toronto to a 95-91 win as the Raptors regained home-court advantage in their best-of-7 series.
This game if nothing else shows how long the postseason is. It’s been nearly a month since the Raptors began their disappointing playoff run with a loss to the Pacers. Lowry has struggled these last three weeks, and is clearly dealing with an elbow injury. Yet with so many games the Raptors have managed to stay alive in, it allows for the All-Star guard to work through his troubles. He’s been in his own head these last two weeks, and the weight has been showing on him.
Whatever the reasons were for why Lowry shook out of his slump in Game 3, everything opened up for him. He shot 11-of-19 and was popping threes off the pick with confidence like he has needed to in these playoffs. He ran out layups off turnovers and hit a huge step-back jumper to secure the game late. It was a star performance, the kind Raptors fans have been hoping for for weeks.
The Raptors’ role players have carried them in these playoffs so it’s fitting that Lowry would come in during the one game they needed him the most.
Meanwhile, the Heat have to be kicking themselves after wasting a phenomenal throwback performance from Dwyane Wade. Wade scored 38 — the most points he’s had in a playoff game since 2012 — shot 13 of 25 for the field, and most unbelievably, hit four of six 3-pointers when he’s struggled so much in his career from beyond the arc. This was a brilliant performance from Wade who hit shots from everywhere, the full range of what he’s capable of, including a putback dunk amid the usual array of layups and bank push shots.
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