Raptors vs. Heat: Game 6 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
Goran Dragic helped the Miami Heat overcome a slow start to force a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors with a 103-91 victory Friday.
Both teams got off to ugly starts, which has been a theme throughout the series, but Dragic caught fire in the second quarter with 14 points to carry the Heat to a 53-44 advantage at halftime with plays like this drive to the basket:
Per ESPN Stats & Info, it was the second-highest-scoring half Dragic has posted in his playoff career:
Dragic finished the game with a playoff career-high 30 points. Sports on Earth provided visual evidence of what Miami's point guard was doing on the court:
It couldn't have come at a more opportune time, as Dwyane Wade struggled, shooting 3-of-9 from the field in the first 24 minutes. He turned it around in the fourth quarter, though, notching eight points to finish with 22 for the game.
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out Wade also rewrote the record book in Miami's win:
Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald noted that Wade's ability to shoot from beyond the arc in the playoffs has already surpassed what he did in the regular season:
Justise Winslow got a chance to play hero in the third quarter, posting his highest-scoring game since April 1 with 12 points. He took full advantage when the Raptors forgot about him with a jam on a terrific feed from Wade, via the NBA on Twitter:
Winslow was in the starting lineup Friday only because of Hassan Whiteside's knee injury. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to go with a small starting five, a strategy that paid huge dividends in Game 6.
ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton explained why Spoelstra's decision to start Winslow at center was wise:
The Raptors continued to battle back to keep the game from getting far out of hand, and Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan finally played up to their potential in a playoff game together.
The problem for Toronto was that none of its other players showed up. Lowry and DeRozan combined for 59 points, but nine other Raptors could muster only 34 points on 14-of-34 shooting.
The absence of Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) was a huge problem for the Raptors. As the duo came alive, his presence would have given the team a necessary third option that wasn't there with DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson and Co.
Lowry's performance, in particular, was what Toronto had been looking for. He finished with 36 points on 12-of-27 shooting. He is the leader of the offense at point guard but was shooting 35.6 percent and had 16 turnovers in the first five games.
Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star summed up Lowry's breakout effort:
Yet even with Lowry locked in and taking control of the offense, he had only three assists because DeRozan was his only teammate knocking down shots consistently. The fourth quarter was a problem for the entire team, as it went just 5-of-20 and made two field goals in the last nine minutes.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com noted how important both point guards were to their respective teams based on their time on the bench:
A perfect encapsulation of Toronto's offensive problems came late in the fourth quarter. With the Raptors trailing by 10, Cory Joseph was wide-open on a fast break for a layup but went too strong and watched the ball bounce off the rim.
The Raptors will be disappointed after missing an opportunity to close out the series, but it's not a dire situation. They still get to go back home for Game 7 on Sunday, with Lowry gaining confidence after his performance Friday.
The Heat did what they needed to behind Dragic's best playoff game, Wade's strong play on both ends of the court and Winslow's spark in place of Whiteside.
They started the series with a win in Toronto and will attempt to end it the same way Sunday.
Postgame Reaction
Spoelstra was pleased with what he saw from his offense tonight, noting how the smaller lineup helped get the Heat back on track, via NBA TV:
Per Skolnick, Spoelstra added that going with a smaller starting five was a "whatever is required" decision to help the team win games.
Wade echoed his coach's sentiments, telling reporters (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that "sometimes unconventional works."
Dragic, who was Miami's hero Friday, told reporters (via Skolnick) that he "was just aggressive" and didn't "want to go back to Europe" for the summer just yet.
Per Skolnick, Dragic also gave credit to the job Winslow did under the bright lights:
On the injury front, Whiteside told reporters (via Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel) that he won't be playing on Sunday despite traveling with the team.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel added that Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said Valanciunas will also miss Game 7.
Sticking with Casey, via NBA TV, he was not pleased with the performance from any of his players on defense:
After having his best performance of the series, Lowry maintained his optimism with a win-or-go-home game on the horizon, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press: "We played all year to get 56 wins and be the No. 2 seed in the East and get home court in this type of situation. It's going to be fun. Game 7, two versus three, get an opportunity to play on one of the biggest stages there is."
The Raptors earned the right to host a decisive game by playing so well during the regular season. It's on them to execute in front of a sure-to-be raucous home crowd to reach the conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
