Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan Finding Momentum at the Right Time for Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors never lost confidence in struggling All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan—mostly because they trust their talents, partly because it's too late to completely rework the offensive pecking order.

That trust was rewarded early and often Wednesday night during the Raptors' 99-91 Game 5 win over the visiting Miami Heat.

DeRozan erupted for 34 points, six more than he tallied in Games 3 and 4 combined. And for the first time during the 2016 NBA playoffs, he connected on half of his field-goal attempts (11-of-22).

Lowry's outing needed a closer inspection to be fully appreciated.

He didn't clear the 40 percent mark (9-of-25) and did finish with the same number of shots and points (25 apiece). But his floor game was superb (10 rebounds, six assists and three steals). His crunch-time shooting kept the Heat at arm's length and Toronto's wild on/off split with Lowry fully encapsulated his value (plus-25 with him, minus-17 without).

"They made shots," Dwyane Wade said, per Raptors Republic's Blake Murphy. "They're All-Star players. They're gonna get going at some point."

This is what Raptors fans had been waiting to see after witnessing these same guards pilot the most successful season in franchise history. Both were All-Stars and nightly 20-plus-point scorers. Combining for 59 points may not have happened every game, but sharing the offensive load in a Toronto win was a regular occurrence.

That was, of course, until the playoffs arrived and sapped the qualities that made both great. Prior to Game 5, they'd spent the bulk of their postseason run masquerading as brick-laying volume scorers.

This was as close as they've been to normal during the second season. And it could not have happened at a more critical time.

The Raptors couldn't simply scrap their offensive strategy this late in the postseason, regardless of how bad the guards' shooting woes grew. With no Jonas Valanciunas (out for the series with a sprained ankle) and DeMarre Carroll not up to speed after losing three months to knee surgery, Toronto couldn't force an ancillary scorer to take on a larger role.

Lowry and DeRozan would go down swinging; even at far less than peak efficiency, they still packed the Raptors' strongest punch.

"Ain't got no choice right now. Ain't got no hesitation in my game right now," Lowry said, per Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star. "I don't think I can be worse than 31 percent, so might as well keep firing away."

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

It's the kind of confidence Toronto couldn't be without. Raptors coach Dwane Casey can't coach around a suddenly frigid showing from his nightly suppliers of 44-plus points. If DeRozan and Lowry failed to ignite, Toronto's playoff run would be extinguished.

Just two nights back, that's where it seemed this series could be headed. The Raptors failed to crack 90 points even after an overtime session, as the starting guards combined for a miserable 19 points on 28 shots. The Heat evened the series 2-2 and seemingly had all the momentum heading into Game 5.

DeRozan was obviously limited by a nagging thumb injury he admitted would be "something that I got to deal with." Lowry was blatantly searching for his shot after an 0-of-6 showing from distance. The Valanciunas-less supporting cast proved it couldn't power through an off-night from the stars that time.

But playoff series can change quickly, and this one may have just been flipped on its head.

NBA teams with a 3-2 lead win the series 85 percent of the time, according to WhoWins.com. For the Raptors to continue that trend, they'll need more of the same from their stars.

For the Heat to reverse it, they'd have to overcome an injury report that already features Chris Bosh (blood clots), Hassan Whiteside (MCL sprain) and now Luol Deng:

Miami will need a vintage effort from Wade, assuming the 34-year-old still has some magic left in the tank. He dazzled in Games 3 and 4 (34.0 points on 53.1 percent shooting) but couldn't find the touch Wednesday (20 points, 6-of-14). The continued struggles of Goran Dragic (13 points on 14 shots) and Joe Johnson (11 on 13) only increase the burden on Wade's shoulders.

Toronto's playoff run has taken a while to gain traction, but it's finally getting momentum at the right time.

Ron Turenne/Getty Images

Even with more injuries to worry about—Carroll exited with a left wrist contusion—the Raptors are in a good place if their stars are really back.

"They're our guys. We can disparage them all we want to and talk about how bad their shooting is," Casey said, per Murphy. "You don't forget how to score the basketball. It's gonna come back. They've carried us the entire season and not one time did we doubt their ability to score."

That belief positioned the Raptors guards to get their groove back and the team to reclaim control of this series. If Toronto's stars shine brightly again, this group could be 48 minutes away from securing the organization's first ever Eastern Conference Finals berth.

Quotes obtained firsthand, unless otherwise cited. Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com.

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