Rapid Reaction: Despite Lowry’s Prayer, Raptors Drop Game 1
Despite Kyle Lowry’s half-court prayer at the buzzer, the Toronto Raptors lost a very winnable game on Tuesday night, falling 102-96 to the Miami Heat.
The Toronto Raptors nearly erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit on Monday night. But even with Kyle Lowry‘s 40-foot three-pointer at the end of regulation, the Raptors were unable to complete the comeback.
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Thanks to the combination of sloppy play and missed shots, the two teams went back-and-forth for most of the night. Unfortunately for the Raptors, the Heat’s backcourt duo of Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade figured things out in the second half.
Dragic carried the Heat in the fourth quarter and propelled them to a 10-point lead, while Wade provided the rest in overtime, highlighted by a game-clinching strip of DeMar DeRozan with time winding down in the extra quarter.
Even though the Raptors trailed for most of the second half, this game felt like a missed opportunity and was very winnable. The Heat had 20 turnovers and only shot 66 percent from the free-throw line, but still managed to beat the Raptors by six.
Here are a couple other thoughts from Game 1:
Player of the Game:
A. Valanciunas was a force for the Raptors all night. He got off to a hot start, scoring 10 points in the first quarter on 5-of-6 shooting, while adding three rebounds, one assist and one block.<p>From there JV never looked back. He finished the night with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and was a +10 in just over 41 minutes of play. On a night where Lowry and DeRozan struggled to find consistency on the offensive side of the ball, Valanciunas was a lynchpin for the Raptors. </p>. C. Toronto Raptors. JONAS VALANCIUNAS
3 Takeaways:
Game 7 Hangover:
The first half was strange. The Raptors were up 43-41 after two quarters, but it felt like they should have been up by a lot more than just two points.
Both teams were sloppy at times and looked sluggish, particularly Miami, who turned the ball over 11 times in the first 24 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas, DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross combined to score 33 of the Raptors 43 first half points.
James Herbert of CBS Sports.com summarized the first half well with this tweet:
in this game:
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) May 4, 2016
whiteside caused a 24-second violation by dunking too slowly
gerald green airballed a dunk
luol deng back-rimmed a dunk
Lowry and DeRozan Continue to Struggle
After a 3-for-3 start, DeRozan went 6-of-19 from the field for the rest of the game, while Lowry still can’t buy a bucket unless it’s from 40-feet out. We can question the health of Lowry all we want, the bottom line is he needs to shoot better. He finished the night shooting 3-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from three.
When Lowry goes, DeRozan goes. But neither has been able to really get it going this postseason and it showed again on Tuesday night, as the difference in the game was guard play. DeRozan and Lowry combined for 29 points, while Dragic and Wade combined for 50 points.
Same Old Perimeter Problems
The most memorable three of Game 1 was of course Lowry’s half-court shot at the end of regulation. But aside from that prayer, the Raptors struggled mightily at both scoring and defending the perimeter.
The Heat were 8-of-11 from behind the arc, while the Raptors were 5-of-21. Dragic was 3-of-4 from three and drilled a clutch triple with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter. That shot wasn’t the difference in the ball game, but it once again highlighted the Raptors vulnerability along the perimeter.
The Heat shot a ridiculous 47.2 percent from three in each of their four wins in round one. Well, in Game 1 on Tuesday night they shot 72.7 percent from three.
I know the Raptors aren’t going to fix their perimeter defence overnight, but they can’t let the Heat shoot 72 percent from downtown again this series.
What’s Next:
Game 2 is set to tip-off Thursday night at 8 pm back at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors desperately need the old Kyle Lowry back, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen anytime soon.
The good part about Game 1 was that the Raptors found a way to hang in there late. They played well defensively and matched the Heat’s small-ball attack all night. But did that not feel like a game they should have won?
Next: Raptors vs. Heat Series Preview
The Heat won’t play that poorly every game this series, so let’s hope the Raptors get it together for Game 2 on Thursday.
How do you think the Raptors played in Game 1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.