Toronto Raptors Need DeMar DeRozan to Follow Kyle Lowry's Lead

MIAMI — Kyle Lowry's return to All-Star form during Game 3 helped the Toronto Raptors reclaim home-court advantage in their second-round series with the Miami Heat.

Getting DeMar DeRozan to do the same could be a massive step toward securing Toronto's first-ever spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This is a perimeter series now with both starting centers derailed by injuries. Toronto's Jonas Valanciunas has already been ruled out for the round with a sprained ankle. Miami's Hassan Whiteside is officially day-to-day with an MCL sprain.

"It's going to be our small ball versus their small ball," Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll said. "... Some guys might have to play out of position, but you've got to be a basketball player. You can't have a number."

The loss of Valanciunas undoubtedly stings. He's easily been the Raptors' most efficient playoff performer (15.0 points on 55 percent shooting, 27.5 player efficiency rating). During this series, Toronto has outscored Miami by 39 points with him and been outscored by 37 without.

"Big, big blow for us," Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri said. "Big blow for JV. ... But you know what? This is the life in the NBA, and we carry on."

There are reasons for Toronto to stay confident. For starters, Valanciunas missed 22 games during the regular season, and the team won 16 of them.

More importantly, the Raptors have a superstar scoring source they've been unable to tap this postseason. DeRozan paced them in points (23.5), shots (17.7) and free-throw attempts (8.4) during the regular season, which they finished with the fifth-most efficient offense. Both his volume and efficiency have tailed considerably since the playoffs began.

DeRozan is in the type of funk where it's fair to question if he'll get his groove back before the Raptors' run ends. He's played 10 postseason games so far and only had more points than shots in three.

But Lowry was struggling even worse than his backcourt mate. He became the first player in the shot-clock era to have nine straight playoff games of 10-plus shots and a sub-40 field-goal percentage, per ESPN Stats & Info's Micah Adams.

Then, the second half of Saturday's 95-91 Raptors Game 3 win saw those shooting woes ripped apart. After a quiet four-point stint through the first two quarters, the 6'0" bulldog erupted for 29 post-intermission points, hitting 9-of-13 from the field and all five of his long-range looks.

"That is the Kyle I know," DeRozan said afterward. "... I knew it was going to come."

The Raptors have been racing against time to get their guards going before their playoff sands run out. But there's been a quiet calm amid the urgency; Toronto knows what type of talent it has.

Lowry and DeRozan keyed the Raptors' franchise-record-setting 56-win season. Both were easy All-Star selections, and they were one of only four teammate tandems to each finish among the top 20 scorers. Players and coaches haven't glossed over the guards' playoff difficulties, but they haven't made any panic moves, either.

The offensive hierarchy still features the same two names at the top.

"You just can't ask those guys to stop scoring," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said before Game 3. "They're scorers. That's their role with our team."

Toronto's perseverance paid off with Lowry, who had an easier time shaking loose from defenders once Miami lost its primary rim protector. That same patience has also seen DeRozan deliver, as his two 30-point outings of the postseason helped the Raptors secure first-round victories in pivotal Games 5 and 7 against the Indiana Pacers.

The stage could be set for him to land another knockout blow.

If Whiteside misses any time, the Heat—who are already without Chris Bosh—go from having the NBA's best shot-blocker to only having Dwyane Wade. A Whiteside-less Miami middle might make DeRozan salivate. No player scored more points off drives this season, and only two attempted more free throws.

And not that shot attempts have been an issue for DeRozan, but his could spike given the offensive drop-off of (presumably) going from Valanciunas to defensive specialist Bismack Biyombo. Toronto's guards could already see their green light glowing brighter when the two starting bigs exited Game 3.

"We just said we had to be more aggressive," Lowry said. "We didn't verbally say it, but we knew the situation we were in. Whiteside is out, JV is out. ... The floor opened up a lot more."

The floor will be even better-spaced during Monday's Game 4.

The Raptors could give center minutes to Patrick Patterson, who hit 36.2 percent from deep during the regular season. The Heat could counter with Josh McRoberts, who's taken less than 39 percent of his career shots within three feet of the rim.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra quipped that Game 3 looked like "a 6'4"-and-under league" down the stretch. With 48 hours to game-plan around their missing big men, both clubs could go even smaller. Having both better spacing and limited rim resistance on offense should position DeRozan for his own second-round breakthrough.

Lowry's breakthrough already helped the Raptors gain a one-game advantage. DeRozan's will have to be more than a depleted Heat team can handle.

All quotes obtained firsthand. Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

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