NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 2
Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Toronto -4.5, Total: 188.0

The Heat will be looking to take a 3-2 series lead by earning a road victory over the Raptors in Game 5 on Wednesday.

The Raptors seemingly had Game 4 in the bag, but the Heat went on a late run and were able to force overtime. Miami eventually won the game 94-87 as a 4.5-point home favorite and can now take a lead in the series by winning in Toronto on Wednesday. One thing the Heat must do better is rebound the basketball. They were outrebounded 55-48 in Game 4 and it’s tough to win games when you’re not controlling the glass. The Raptors, however, can’t expect to win games if they are not playing efficient offensively. They shot just 39.3% from the floor in Game 4 and that is not going to cut it moving forward. One thing that favors Miami coming into this game is the fact that Toronto is 2-10 ATS after three or more consecutive UNDERS this season. The Heat are, however, just 35-51 ATS after one or more consecutive wins over the past two seasons. C Hassan Whiteside (Knee) is out indefinitely for Miami, which is already without PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) for the remainder of the year. SG DeMar DeRozan (Thumb) is going to play for the Raptors, but C Jonas Valanciunas (Ankle) is out indefinitely for the team.

The Heat are coming off of a gigantic victory over the Raptors in Game 4 and SG Dwyane Wade (22.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG in playoffs) has looked like his vintage self in this series. Wade had 30 points on 13-for-24 shooting in Monday’s victory and he also had the layup that ended up sending the game to overtime. The Raptors do not have an answer for Wade’s drives to the rim, so he’ll need to stay in attack mode for the remainder of this series. Miami does, however, need PG Goran Dragic (15.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.7 APG in playoffs) to get his head straight. Dragic is averaging just 13.5 PPG on 10-for-30 shooting from the floor over the past two games and has not been playing smart basketball for the Heat. He also nearly cost his team the game by striking a Raptors player in the head late in the fourth quarter of Game 4. Fortunately for him, the officials missed it on the floor and did not make the call. Dragic will, however, need to keep his mind on basketball and do what he can to help his team win. He averaged 23.0 PPG in the first two games of this series and must be aggressive as a scorer once again.

The Raptors could have taken complete control of this series by winning Game 4, but they collapsed down the stretch. If Toronto is going to take a 3-2 lead in this series then SG DeMar DeRozan (17.7 PPG, 1.4 SPG in playoffs) must show up for the team. He has been absolutely miserable for the Raptors and pretty much hit rock bottom in the loss in Game 4. DeRozan was just 4-for-17 from the field in that game and had nine points in 34 minutes of action. If he cannot find a way to start playing more efficient basketball then the Heat are going to cruise the rest of the way. PG Kyle Lowry (15.0 PPG, 6.9 APG, 1.8 SPG in playoffs) also must pick it up moving forward. Lowry was just 2-for-11 with 10 points and four turnovers in Game 4. He had 33 the game before and will need to start shooting the ball better. This was one of the best backcourts in basketball during the regular season and needs to start showing out in the playoffs soon.