The Toronto Raptors were down by one with mere seconds to go before halftime until Kyle Lowry nailed an improbable shot from the 3-point line. It gave them a 2-point lead, 57-55, heading into the third quarter versus the Miami Heat.
Leading 54-53, the Raptors were unable to stop Heat center Hassan Whiteside as he made a bank shot in the lane with 5.4 seconds to go. Toronto rushed the ball downcourt and as it reached the hands of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, he found himself well-guarded by his defender and decided to pass it off to Lowry.
Unfortunately, Lowry was also guarded tightly by Goran Dragic. With time running out, the 6-foot point guard had to hoist one up with time running out. Despite Dragic’s outstretched arms, Lowry was able to fire one up from the top of the key and nailed it cleanly as if he was wide open. Nothing but net. The buzzer sounded and the shot was counted.
Lowry finished the first half with 13 points to give the Raptors a breather after the Wade-inspired Heat team took the lead briefly.
The Eastern Conference-leading Raptors are just a half-game ahead of the Boston Celtics who surrendered the top spot after struggling the past two weeks. At 39-16, the Raptors have been slowly climbing up the standings. They are currently on a 5-game winning streak and have won 10 of their last 13 games.
Lowry is averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
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