Raptors vs. Heat: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

They didn't earn any style points, but the result counts all the same for the Miami Heat, who tied their 2016 NBA semifinals playoff series with the Toronto Raptors 2-2 following a 94-87 overtime win Monday night in AmericanAirlines Arena.  

Dwyane Wade added another memorable playoff moment to his Hall of Fame-caliber career, tying the game at 83-83 with 12.6 seconds left in regulation. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra opted against calling a timeout on the team's final possession and let Wade run the offense. The gamble paid off as the 12-time All-Star weaved through the Raptors defense and found the bottom of the basket with a finger roll:

Miami did just enough offensively in overtime to stave off Toronto's challenge. They battled not only the Raptors, but the basketball itself. With 59.8 seconds left, a Wade layup got stuck on the back of the rim:

Phillip Barnett provided the perfect reaction on Twitter:

The pivotal moment came when Goran Dragic completed a three-point play following a foul by DeMarre Carroll. That gave the Heat a five-point lead, 92-87, with 22.4 seconds left, and on the ensuing possession, Wade picked the pocket of Terrence Ross and got a quick dunk to put the result out of reach for good.

The Heat star finished with a game-high 30 points on 13-of-24 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dragic and Joe Johnson each contributed 15 points as well.

For the Raptors, Monday was further evidence the the roster may be irredeemably flawed. Toronto got 35 points from its bench, but DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to go 6-of-28 from the field for 19 points.

The Raptors nearly pulled out the win in spite of their top two scorers. Until DeRozan and Lowry find their shooting strokes, Toronto will continue to rely on razor-thin margins in order to prolong its stay in the postseason.

Even without Hassan Whiteside in the paint—ESPN.com's Michael Wallace reported the Heat big man has a strained right MCL—Miami's defense smothered Toronto in the first half, holding the Raptors to 29.3 percent shooting from the field. Couper Moorhead of Miami's official site provided Toronto's shot chart from NBA.com, which is presented without comment:

The Heat blanketed DeRozan, who shot 2-of-12 and scored five points through the first two quarters. Raptors Republic's Blake Murphy thought he was at least taking somewhat better shots than he previously has in the series:

Lowry's poor shooting compounded the problems. Toronto's starting point guard made just one of his first seven field-goal attempts, scoring seven points. Jeopardy Sports offered this savage assessment of the duo:

The Raptors announced Sunday that starting center Jonas Valanciunas will miss the rest of the series with a sprained right ankle. While Valanciunas' injury could've provided DeRozan and Lowry an opportunity to take control of the series, it instead illustrated how important the big man is to Toronto's offense.

Miami, however, wasn't much better despite owning a 44-35 halftime lead. The Heat were successful getting the ball inside, scoring 28 points in the paint, but they failed to connect on a three-point attempt. Wade accounted for a good chunk of that success, leading all scorers 15 points.

He provided one of the few first-half highlights, finishing off a fast break with a right-handed jam 1:43 into the game:

The Heat's reliance on Wade became an issue to start the second half, when Miami's secondary scorers collectively went cold. Over the first 8:06 of the third quarter, the Raptors went on a 19-6 run to go ahead 54-50. DeMarre Carroll played a major role in the turnaround, scoring 10 points and making all five of his shots in the quarter, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

Miami closed the gap to two points, 62-60, by the end of the quarter, with Josh McRoberts blocking Cory Joseph at the basket to preserve the deficit:

The Raptors' hot shooting continued into the fourth quarter, with Ross delivering two critical blows for Toronto. With 7:41 left in the game, he knocked down a three to put his team up five, 72-67, and a little over a minute later, the Raptors' advantage grew to nine points, 77-68, after another three-pointer from Ross.

With the way the game was unfolding, a nine-point edge inside the last seven minutes was a fairly large cushion for Toronto considering the Heat scored just eight points as a team over the first 5:20 of the final frame.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman was growing concerned at Miami's one-man show:

Wade put the team on his back down the final stretch of regulation. He did a little bit of everything, crashing the boards and running the offense by either looking for his own shot or setting up his teammates.

Two free throws from Joe Johnson with 1:07 left brought Miami to within two, 83-81. DeRozan and Cory Joseph both had opportunities to potentially put the game out of reach for Miami, but their jumpers failed to hit the target. That allowed the Heat to have the final possession with a chance to tie the game.

With the way the series has unfolded, seven games may be necessary to decide a winner. CBSSports.com's Matt Moore isn't looking forward to that prospect:

Complex's Russ Bengtson figures this entire thing is futile anyway with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers looming in the next round:

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey must now respond in Game 5 on Wednesday. Many expected the Raptors to use smaller lineups to take advantage of Whiteside's absence, a strategy that often went unused Monday.

Granted, playing small ball will inevitably be difficult if Lowry and DeRozan continue to be black holes offensively. If anything, the Raptors looked better in the second half when DeRozan was off the floor. Although Casey can't simply bench his starting shooting guard, sitting DeRozan strategically for the right stretches might be one of the keys for Toronto to retake the series lead.

Postgame Reaction

After a somewhat uneven first-round performance, Wade has been excellent against the Raptors. Spoelstra praised his conditioning for allowing him to remain so steady this late into the year.

"He’s getting stronger, and again, it’s the work that he has put in," the coach said, per USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. "You just can’t turn it on at this time of year. He’s put in a ton of work during the offseason. This is probably the hardest he’s worked. He has a great trainer. He’s very committed to it."

Wade expanded on the subject, per NBA TV:

Whereas the Heat's best player stepped up in a critical moment of the game, the same couldn't be said for the Raptors' stars, DeRozan and Lowry. Casey discussed the impact their struggles had on the rest of the team, per NBA TV:

"

"I felt like we let it slip away." -Dwane Casey https://t.co/99GHkyHsHo

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 10, 2016"

DeRozan also talked about how Toronto didn't do enough to take advantage during the stretches when Miami looked its worst.

"We got to realize this is a team that could get going," he said, per the National Post's Scott Stinson. "It's a veteran team, they've been in this situation before and you can't give them no type of life to take advantage of. Next thing you look up and we're fighting for our life. We've got to treat it like our lives are on the line."