HEAT-Raptors Game 2 Recap

For the second time in two games this series, the Toronto Raptors and Miami HEAT ended up in an overtime game, but the way it happened and the way it ended were exactly opposite of what went down in Game 1. Then, it was a Kyle Lowry deep three that sent it to the extra period, which the HEAT dominated, but in Game 2 it was a clutch three-pointer by Goran Dragic that sent the game into overtime, where the Raptors were the ones that closed things out to even the series.

Toronto came into the game facing a ton of heat (no pun intended) for how poorly they’ve played through eight postseason games this spring. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, with just a couple of exceptions, have been atrocious – failing miserably to live up to the moment.

Yes, they’ve made it past the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, but it wasn’t as easy a ride getting there as it probably should have been. Things have been pretty ugly, quite frankly, so re-establishing themselves a real threat was essential in Game 2.

That’s precisely what they did, and it wasn’t just up to DeRozan and Lowry this time around. While those two players combined to shoot 16-for-46 from the field, Jonas Valanciunas stepped up in a big way, scoring 11 points and hauling in seven boards in the fourth quarter and overtime alone. DeMarre Carroll was huge for the Raptors in Game 2 as well, scoring 21 points and knocking down a trio of treys.

Miami’s starters put up a well-balanced attack, with all five of them scoring at least 12 points. Dragic led the way with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting and had a big three toward the end of regulation, while Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson each chipped in 17.

Game 3 takes place on Sunday in Miami.