May 3, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) shoots past Toronto Raptors guard Jonas Valanciunas (17) in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. The Heat won 102 -96 in overtime. Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
TORONTO — Goran Dragic’s game-high 26 points led the Miami Heat to a 102-96 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre.
With the win, the Heat take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals series.
Kyle Lowry hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer 39-feet out to force overtime as the Raptors erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit. Lowry struggled all night going 0-for-5 from 3-point range prior to the game-tying shot.
Miami opened overtime on an 8-0 run and hung on for the victory.
The Heat started the fourth on a 7-2 run to build a 10-point lead. However, Toronto responded with a 12-4 surge late to pull to within two, 83-81. Dragic appeared to kill the Raptors momentum sinking a 3-pointer with 40.6 seconds remaining, prior to Lowry’s buzzer-beater.
Dwayne Wade had 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. Joe Johnson chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Jonas Valanciunas scored a team-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists while Terrence Ross added 19 points off the bench.
The loss drops to Toronto 1-9 in playoff series openers.
Miami shot 57.9 percent in the third quarter erasing a two-point halftime deficit and took a 68-63 lead into the fourth.
Dragic had 10 third quarter points helping the Heat build a five point lead. Wade added nine third period points moving into 16th place on the NBA’s all-time postseason scoring list.
Ross, who averaged just five points per game through the first seven games of the playoffs, led the way with 11 second quarter points off the bench helping the Raptors to a 43-41 lead at the break.
Valanciunas led the way with 10 points while DeRozan added eight as the Raptors and Heat were tied 18-18 after one quarter.
Wade and Amar’e Stoudemire each had four points for Miaimi while Luol Deng added three points.
The Heat received a scare 7:06 into the first when Hassan Whiteside slipped on the floor and suffered a right knee strain. Whiteside labored on the court, but was able to limp off the floor during a timeout.
He went to the Miami room for further observation, and returned for the second quarter.
NOTES: Raptors G Norman Powell started in place of F Patrick Patterson. … Heat F Chris Bosh, who has been in a dispute with the club over his health status, made the trip to Toronto, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career, but was inactive for Game 1. Bosh has been sidelined since the All-Star break because a blood clot was found in his left leg. … Miami F Dorell Wright and Raptors G Delon Wright became the first brothers to face one another in a playoff series since G Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans) and G Justin Holiday (Golden State Warriors) met in April 2015. … Toronto won the regular season series with Miami 3-1.
