Heat Back Home For Game 3 Vs Raptors
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MIAMI (SportsDirect Inc.) -- The shooting woes of Toronto Raptors stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continue to persist, but the team is finding ways to stay in games during the postseason.
The Raptors will once again try to get more from their All-Star backcourt and aim for a 2-1 lead when they visit the Miami Heat for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday.
Lowry followed up a 3-of-13 effort in Game 1 with a 7-of-22 mark in Game 2 and is shooting 30.8 percent in the postseason while DeRozan is only marginally better at 33.7 percent from the floor in the playoffs.
"Those guys (Lowry and DeRozan), we have to continue to go with them," Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "Find ways. There are other ways to win the game than shooting the basketball."
The Heat gave the Raptors a way to win Thursday's game with 21 turnovers that led to 24 points, including 11 miscues in the first quarter alone that allowed Toronto to jump out to a 29-19 lead.
"Spotting a good team like this roughly 20 extra possessions - however they got them - that's tough to overcome," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "Those are a lot of possessions to give up in the postseason. They're a good, disruptive team."
TV: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: With DeRozan and Lowry struggling to carry the load, DeMarre Carroll stepped up with 21 points in Game 2 and center Jonas Valanciunas scored 11 of his 15 in the fourth quarter and overtime while adding 12 rebounds. "He did that and we didn't even run any plays for him," DeRozan told reporters of Valanciunas. "It was just him being hungry. I think he's definitely the reason that we won the game (Thursday)." The double-double was the third straight for Valanciunas, who is 17-of-25 from the field in the series.
ABOUT THE HEAT: Goran Dragic had two teeth knocked out and needed eight stitches to close a gash in his lip but forced overtime with a 3-pointer and finished with a team-high 20 points in Game 2 while committing four turnovers. "Some of those were silly, silly turnovers," Dragic told reporters. "Maybe we're not focused enough. If we eliminate those turnovers, we would have had at least five possessions more, and if you score on half of those possessions, it's six or seven points. We feel like we should have won this one, so it's a little bit of a bad taste in our mouths." Miami is heading back home for the first time since Game 7 of the first round against the Charlotte Hornets, when it steamrolled its way to a 106-73 victory.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Heat F Luol Deng is 4-of-6 from 3-point range in the series and is shooting 53.3 percent from beyond the arc in the postseason.
2. Lowry is 2-of-14 from 3-point range in the series and is shooting 15.8 percent in the postseason.
3. Toronto F Terrence Ross is averaging 14.5 points in the series after putting up an average of five in the first round.
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