The Toronto Raptors are just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Miami Heat, 99-91, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Toronto now leads the seven-game series, 3-2, and will have a chance to put away Miami on the road in Game 6 on Friday night.
Closing out games hasn’t always been easy for Toronto this postseason, but point guard Kyle Lowry stepped up late in Game 5 with some huge plays to get the win. While his shot has eluded him at times, Lowry showed little hesitation in going ISO against Josh Richardson to hit a huge three-pointer at the top of the key that extended Toronto’s late lead:
Lowry finished the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, a remarkable turnaround after the star guard had just 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting in Game 4. This was the Lowry that helped carry Toronto to a franchise-record 56 wins in the regular season, even if the team hasn’t necessarily gotten him in every contest.
DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biybombo were also stellar for Toronto. DeRozan scored a game-high 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Biyombo anchored the defense and had a big stretch in the second quarter where he pretty much put Toronto on his back.
Unfortunately, there were also some injuries to put a damper on the action. DeMarre Carroll and Luol Deng both left with injuries in the second half. It’ll be interesting to see whether either player is ready to suit up for Game 6. Either way, the winner of this series is going to have trouble against Cleveland in the next round.
Here are three things we learned:
Bismack Biyombo is now the series’ best big man
Remember when this series had Hassan Whiteside and Jonas Valanciunas? Unless Miami gets back the former at some point soon, injuries have made Bismack Biyombo the best big man on either team. It seems hard to believe that a backup who averaged 5.5 points per game in the regular season would be starring in the conference semifinals, but Valanciunas’ injury opened up minutes for Biyombo and Whiteside’s injury has given him a favorable matchup.
In Game 4, Biyombo had one of his best games of the year by recording 13 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes. He was similarly productive Wednesday night, putting up 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks in 38 minutes. He was especially dominant in the second quarter, and even gave Dywane Wade the Mutombo finger wag after a big rejection:
Biyombo’s rim protection is a big part of why Miami shot so poorly from the field. In the absence of the series’ best two big men, Toronto’s backup has emerged a difference-maker.
Miami can’t find its Game 1 shooting touch
The Heat took early control of this series by winning Game 1 in Toronto. A big part of how they did it was by shooting 8 of 11 from three-point range, something they haven’t been able to sustain over the remainder of the series. In Game 5, Miami hit just three of its 14 three-point attempts, with half of the makes coming from Josh Richardson in the second half. Since that 72 percent outing from beyond the arc in the series opener, the Heat have shot 24 percent on threes over the last four games.
Both teams are testing their depth
First, the series lost Valanciunas and Whiteside. Luol Deng and DeMarre Carroll joined them on the sideline after suffering wrist injuries in Game 5. Carroll’s tests came back negative and Deng’s were “inconclusive,” but either way, we’re in a series where Miami is struggling to match up against Biyombo. Injuries have radically changed the complexion of this series, and how long each of these players is ultimately out could go a long way toward deciding who reaches the conference finals. Guys like Terrence Ross, Justise Winslow and Richardson may need to step up big time.
This article was written by Satchel Price from SB Nation and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
