I think everyone across the league is aware that the Toronto Raptors have closing issues in the playoffs. Up 3-2, the Raptors fell short in Game 6, a potential series-clinching game, 103-91 in Miami and Goran Dragic came up huge to force a Game 7.
The first quarter featured a lot of bricks and few buckets. Miami barely edged out Toronto with a 21-20 lead behind 15 combined points from Justise Winslow, Tyler Johnson, and Dragic, who also had three assists. Dwyane Wade had some early struggles like everyone else and finished 2/6 from the field, and Miami shot just 33% as a team. The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry‘s seven points, and DeMar DeRozan‘s six. As a team, however, they shot just 40% from the field. Bismack Biyombo came out with a ton of energy, yet again, and anchored the defense, and relentlessly attacked the glass. In the period, he blocked two shots and hauled in five rebounds.
In the second quarter, Miami put up 32 points to Toronto’s 24 — that 30-point quarter by the Heat was the first one in the series for either team. It was initiated by Dragic, who had 14 points on 6/7 shooting in not even eight minutes of action. Wade put in five, and rookie Josh Richardson had five as well, including a thunderous thrown down over Biyombo. Lowry went cold after shooting 3/6 in the first and his just one shot in five attempts in the second. DeRozan picked up his slack and shot 60% while leading the team with nine points. Dragic had 19 points on 7/10 shooting in the first half as Miami held a 53-44 lead.
Both teams came out in the third with very efficient offenses and Miami took a one-point lead in the quarter, 29-28. Lowry and DeRozan shot a combined 8/13 and scored 20 points, with Lowry scoring 12 to lead the team. After shooting just 42.5% in the first half, the Raptors’ field goal percentage skyrocketed to 54.5 in the third. The same was true for Miami, as their 46.5% mark jumped up to 55%. Goran Dragic still had the hot hand and finished with a team-high nine points on 4/7 from the field; rookie Winslow had seven, and Wade had five points and two assists. With the fourth quarter approaching, the Heat stretched out their lead to 82-72.
Wade had all eight of his fourth quarter points within the final seven minutes of the game, effectively sealing it. The poor shooting returned, and both sides struggled to make baskets down the stretch. Even with his eight points, Wade shot 3/8, and his teammates finished 6/13 with 13 points. The Heat did, however, lock down on defense and swatted five shots: Wade and Richardson had two, Luol Deng had one. For Toronto, Kyle Lowry did nearly everything in the fourth. He scored 15 of their 19 points, made three of their five field goals, made their only three, and attempted and made all eight of their free throws.
Kyle Lowry was the game’s leading scorer with 36 on 12/27 shooting, and DeRozan had 23 with just eight of them coming in the second half. Dragic had 30 to lead the Heat, and it was his first 30-point game since 2014 as a member of the Suns; he shot 12/21 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. Dwyane Wade had 22 points, three blocks, and passed Hakeem Olajuwon in playoff points scored.
Game 7 is set for Sunday, May 15, at 3:30 PM EST in Toronto.
