The rainbow shot seemed to be in the air for several minutes, but when it landed, it crashed through the net, giving Kyle Lowry the most clutch bucket of his career, and the Raptors another chance at life.
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Those type of totals have been the norm this postseason for Lowry, who’s shooting just 30.6 percent from the floor and 16.0 percent from deep over Toronto’s first eight playoff games.
DeRozan got the ball following a Heat turnover but Wade stripped him of it and drove in for the clinching three-point play with 1.8 seconds left. He worked on his shot until after 1 a.m. following Game 1, first on the Raptors’ practice court and then on the main court, in an effort to rediscover a shot that’s missing.
“Right now it’s definitely a thousand different things going on because of how I’m not shooting the ball”, Lowry said. “He said, ‘Look, (Lowry) made an unbelievable shot”.
As you see in the video, the Raptors’ crowd at the Air Canada Centre absolutely erupted in elation.
With Lowry faltering and Dragic flourishing, the Miami Heat aim to win the point guard matchup in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night in Toronto.
Lowry said he can take some confidence in the fact the Raptors won the in series without much of a scoring contribution from him.
Deep breath. Let’s talk about the end of regulation, Kyle Lowry and his shot. Whiteside would miss the first free throw and hit the second, leaving the Raptors with the ball, no timeouts to advance it, and the entire length of the court between it and the basket they would need to score on to overcome a three-point deficit. Lowry averaged 21.2 points per game during the regular season, but has averaged 13 points per game this postseason.
Rod Black, Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins break down Kyle Lowry’s heroics at the end of regulation, discuss Miami taking over in overtime and talk about about the Heat backcourt outplaying the Raptors’ in Game 1. He also discusses Kyle Lowry’s struggling with his shot, but contributing in all other ways. “I still feel like he’s going to come back”. The Heat and Raptors shot an identical 45 percent from the field. Miami went on an 8-0 run to start overtime, and despite another wild finish with an opportunity to extend the game, the Raptors came up short.
“We are at our best when he’s aggressive and making plays for us” Spoelstra said of his starting point guard.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was pleased with the way his side responded after a slow start which saw them trailing by 17 points at one stage in the second in the second quarter.
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“I unfortunately had a very good look at it”, Wade said. The scariest moment undoubtedly came early in the first quarter when Heat star center Hassan Whiteside went down with a frightening looking knee injury. I don’t care if you miss 15 shots, I’m going to stand behind him just like if he’s making 15 shots in a row. Miami F Dorell Wright and Raptors G Delon Wright became the first brothers to face one another in a playoff series since G Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans) and G Justin Holiday (Golden State Warriors) met in April 2015. “We gave that game away!” Toronto got the ball back after a Miami turnover on the inbounds play, but Wade stripped the ball from DeRozan and sealed it with a three-point play.
