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https://scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1942999/dwayne-wade-gets-30-miami-heat-rally-beat-toronto-raptors-94-87
Sport/ Other Sport

Dwyane Wade gets 30 as Miami Heat rally to beat Toronto Raptors 94-87 in game four overtime

Wade scored 30, Goran Dragic had a huge three-point play late in overtime and the Heat beat the Raptors 94-87 to tie their Eastern Conference semi-final series at 2-2

Dwayne Wade bagged 30 points in the game four win over the Toronto Raptors to tie the series at 2-2. Photo: AFP

Dwyane Wade scored 30 points, Goran Dragic had a huge three-point play late in overtime and the Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 94-87 on Monday night to tie their Eastern Conference semi-final series at 2-2.

Dragic and Joe Johnson each scored 15 for the Heat, who rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Game five is in Toronto on Wednesday night.

Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph each scored 14 for Toronto, which shot 39 per cent. Bismack Biyombo and DeMarre Carroll added 13 apiece, while starting guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 19 points on 6-for-28 shooting.

In what could have stood as the Miami Heat’s final home game of 2015-16, coach Erik Spoelstra tried it all.

Tyler Johnson was briefly brought out of the deep freeze. Josh McRoberts was handed meaningful minutes. Justise Winslow was back in the rotation after a game out.

But even on a night that the Toronto Raptors’ greatest strength was also their greatest weakness, it again required Dwyane Wade to rise to the moment.

And he did.

So with Hassan Whiteside sidelined indefinitely with a sprained right knee, with Chris Bosh again only as well-dressed bench booster, Wade made sure there would be more basketball this season at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Wade celebrates winning game four. Photo: AFP
Wade celebrates winning game four. Photo: AFP

With Monday night’s 94-87 overtime victory, the Heat not only tied this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final play-off series 2-2, but guaranteed a Friday game six at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Even if it meant playing into overtime for the third time in the series.

Wade again was the Heat’s all-or-nothing solution. And he did his part with his 30 points.

The Raptors’ guards didn’t, with shooting guard DeMar DeRozan 4 of 17 from the field and point guard Kyle Lowry 2 of 11 before fouling out late in regulation. That left Toronto with precious little while playing in the series-ending injury absence of centre Jonas Valanciunas.

An accidental over-the-head tip-in by Winslow opened the scoring in overtime for an 85-83 Heat lead, with Heat forward Joe Johnson then converting an 8-foot jumper for an 87-83 lead.

Raptors guard Cory Joseph then scored with 2:32 left to draw Toronto within 87-85, with Heat forward Luol Deng matching those points with a pair of free throws for an 89-85 Heat lead.

Wade was off with a jumper, but Deng then came up with an offensive rebound.

Wade proved to be the hero again for the Heat. Photo: AFP
Wade proved to be the hero again for the Heat. Photo: AFP

Given a second chance for a score, the Heat were left with the rarest of moments, a Wade running floater coming to dead rest on a back iron of the rim, leading to a jump ball at centre court with 59.8 seconds to play.

The Raptors controlled that tip, calling timeout with 58.2 seconds to play. DeRozan worked his way for a driving layup to pull the Raptors within 89-87 with 42.7 seconds to go.

That’s when Heat point guard Goran Dragic, who was 4 of 15 to that stage, converted a driving layup with 22.4 seconds to play and converted it into a three-point play and a 92-87 Heat lead.

Wade then came up with a steal, scored and that was that.

The game went to overtime when Wade scored on a driving layup with 12.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, after the Heat elected to play in transition without a timeout, with Joseph missing a jumper at the regulation buzzer.

Along the way, Lowry fouled out late in regulation.