MIAMI — Dwyane Wade saved the Miami Heat in regulation, then finished off overtime with an emphatic dunk Monday night.
Now this Eastern Conference semifinal series is even again.
Wade scored 30 points, Goran Dragic had a huge three-point play with 22.4 seconds left in overtime and the Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 94-87 in Game 4.
Dragic and Joe Johnson each scored 15 for the Heat, who rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Game 5 is in Toronto on Wednesday night.
Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph each scored 14 for Toronto, which shot 39 percent. Bismack Biyombo and DeMarre Carroll added 13 apiece, and starting guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 19 points on 6-of-28 shooting.
Miami was down 77-68 midway through the fourth and still trailed 79-72 when Lowry got the roll on a 15-footer with five minutes left.
That’s when Wade went to work.
He scored the next five for Miami, getting the Heat within 79-77. The deficit was still two when Lowry fouled out – on an offensive foul – with 1:58 left. The Heat finally tied it with 12.6 seconds left, Wade getting to the rim for a layup that made it 83-83.
Joseph missed a jumper to end regulation and the Raptors scored a mere four points the rest of the way.
It was not an offensive showcase by any measure. The first shot of the night was an airball by DeRozan. It might have been a harbinger of what awaited both offenses.
The best example? Wade tried a scoop shot from the right side of the lane in overtime. The ball bounced on the rim a few times and stayed there.
Really, it did. The ball came to rest on the back of the rim, resulting in a jump ball that Toronto won with 58 seconds remaining. DeRozan scored on that possession to get Toronto within two, but the Raptors wouldn’t score again.
Biyombo started in place of injured center Jonas Valanciunas and made an impact, dunking on Amare Stoudemire – Miami’s starter in place of injured center Hassan Whiteside – while getting fouled 3:05 into the game, flexing his muscles for good measure. But the Heat eventually settled in, leading 25-21 after the first quarter and taking a 44-35 lead into the half as Toronto missed its last nine shots of the second quarter.
The Raptors then made eight of their first 11 shots to open the second half. Carroll was 5 of 5 in the quarter after a 1-of-5 start.
NOTES
SPURS: San Antonio General Manager R.C. Buford was named the executive of the year.
It’s the second time Buford received the honor. He previously won it in the 2013-14 season.
KINGS: Two days after being jettisoned by Memphis, Dave Joerger landed in Sacramento as the latest coach looking to end the Kings’ decade-long playoff drought. Joerger replaced George Karl and became the Kings’ ninth head coach since the team went to the playoffs in 2006 under Rick Adelman.
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