MIAMI (AP) – Fred VanVleet hit two 3-pointers in the third overtime and the Toronto Raptors outscored the Miami Heat 124-120 on Saturday night.
Gary Trent jr. led Toronto by 33 points, Scottie Barnes added 22, Pascal Siakam had 21 and OG Anunoby 20. VanVleet finished the previous two games on the sidelines due to pain in the right knee with 19 points.
“We hung out there and could definitely have gone either way several times,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “And to just hang in there and keep fighting and keep figuring it out.”
VanVleet’s first 3 tied it at 117. Anunoby’s dunk with 3:05 left put Toronto ahead forever before VanVleet started again from long range and a 122-117 lead.
“We fought through some adversity, so it was good for us tonight to keep it out and keep our composure,” VanVleet said.
Jimmy Butler had a triple with 37 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for the Eastern Conference leading Heat.
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“It was highly competitive and wild swings, back and forth, of emotion,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It will take a lot of mental toughness to fight through many frustrating moments in the first three quarters, but I thought we responded. Just a great ball game in the fourth quarter and all the overtime. ”
After shooting 3 for 15 in regulation, VanVleet was 4 of 7 in the overtime periods.
“At that point, we all tried, everyone had a chance,” VanVleet said. “Everyone had their chance once and it came to me again. At that stage I will shoot them and if we miss them we will lose and if I make them we will win. ”
Former Raptors guard Kyle Lowry missed his seventh straight game for Miami. Lowry, who joined the Heat in the off-season after nine years in Toronto, is out for personal reasons.
Miami celebrated Gabe Vincent’s dribble to the front early and 35-foot dump that jumped in and would have given the Heat a 3-point victory in the second overtime. But Vincent did not see Spoelstra indicate a time-out before his attempt.
“Emotionally, it was a struggle for us to go in there on the second night of a rugby match,” said Heat guard Tyler Herro, who finished with 13 points. “The mentality is just to do everything necessary to achieve the victory and we fell a little short. But we struggled and that is all we can ask for. ”
Two free throws from Trent with 16.8 seconds left in overtime tied it at 105 and forced the first additional five minutes. Trent shot 13 of 28 from the field in his third consecutive game of 30 or more points.
The Heat repaired a 16-point deficit in the third quarter and outscored Toronto 27-17 in the fourth period.
TIP-INS
Raptors: The five beginners played more than 50 minutes. Begin start a stretch of 10 of 14 road races. … Siakam has scored 20 or more points in nine of its last 11 games.
Heat: Missed their first four free throw attempts after switching 26 of 27 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Butler’s string of 19 straight-converted free throws ended when he missed two attempts in the first period. … At home dropped to 19-6.
FOLLOWING
Birds of Prey: Monday night at Atlanta.
Heat: Monday night at Boston.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca