NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 2
Tip-off: Sunday, 3:35 p.m. ET
Line: Toronto -4.5, Total: 189.5

Both the Heat and Raptors will be playing for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals when the teams meet in Toronto for Game 7 on Sunday.

The Heat were facing elimination in Game 6 and ended up coming away with a 103-91 victory as 3.5-point home favorites. Miami played its best offensive game since Game 2 in that one, shooting 47.6% from the floor and turning the ball over just seven times as well. The Heat will need to bring that type of efficient play into Toronto for this one. The Raptors, meanwhile, have now shot less than 44% from the floor in three straight games and four of their past five. If they can’t find a way to make some easier shots then they could be eliminated on Sunday. One trend favoring Miami is that the team is 15-7 ATS after five straight games forcing an opponent to commit 14 or less turnovers this season. The Heat are, however, just 3-13 ATS after covering in six or seven of their past eight games over the past three seasons. C Hassan Whiteside (Knee) is out for the Heat, who are already without PF Chris Bosh (Blood Clot) for the season. The Raptors will only be without C Jonas Valanciunas (Ankle), but that is a big loss for them.

If the Heat are going to win Game 7 then they will need big performances from both SG Dwyane Wade (21.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.4 APG in playoffs) and PG Goran Dragic (16.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.6 APG in playoffs). Wade had a solid Game 6, finishing with 22 points, six boards, five assists, three blocks and two steals in the victory. He was getting it done on both ends of the floor and will need to bring the same effort in Toronto on Sunday. He is still at his best when he is going to the basket, but he was settling for contested jumpers in a Game 5 loss in Toronto. He’ll need to show the same aggressiveness on the road as he has at home for his team to win this one. Dragic will also need to show that he can get it done in this big road spot for Miami. He had 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Game 6 victory and really had it going for the Heat in that one. He did, however, have just 13 points in Game 5 and can’t afford to disappear like that again on Sunday.

The Raptors are going to be playing with a ton of emotion in front of their home crowd, but they’ll need to find a way to remain calm in the game. One guy that must come out and set an example for his team is PG Kyle Lowry (17.4 PPG, 6.5 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG in playoffs). Lowry is the leader of this Toronto group and has been playing very well over the past two contests. He’s averaging 30.5 PPG over the past two games and will need to come through with another big offensive performance in this one. He’s been at his best when driving to the rim, but he also must continue to knock down his threes. He’s shooting just 24.7% from the outside in the playoffs, but he has knocked down seven of his past 14 threes. SG DeMar DeRozan (19.4 PPG, 1.4 SPG in playoffs) is also going to need to play well for the Raptors. He had 23 points in Game 6, but he was just 8-for-21 from the field in that one. The Raptors will need him to shoot at least 40% from the floor in this game, as he can’t afford to keep missing so many shots for Toronto. It’d also be big if he can step it up on defense. DeRozan can give the Heat a lot of issues by locking up Dwyane Wade on Sunday. He’ll need to do everything in his power to do that in this one.