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, via NBA on TNT:

TIE GAME! https://t.co/bqyXsoruF5

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 10, 2016

Miami did just enough offensively in overtime to stave off Toronto’s challenge, battling not only the Raptors, but the basketball itself after the ball laid up on the rim after an attempted layup by Wade with 59.7 seconds left:

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Phillip Barnett provided the perfect reaction on Twitter:

VIEWS pic.twitter.com/YEoIGvI7DS

— Phillip Barnett (@regularbarnett) May 10, 2016

The pivotal moment came when Goran Dragic completed a three-point play following a foul from Patrick Patterson. 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 essentially 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:

Miami doesn’t have Whiteside, but held Toronto to this in the first …

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