By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
DeMarre Carroll scored 21 points, Lithuanian cneter Valanciunas had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and the Raptors beat the Miami Heat 96-92 after overtime on Thursday night to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at one game apiece.
After scoring just four points on three shots, Valanciunas came alive with 11 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Raptors avoided losing consecutive games for the first time this postseason.
“He came through big,” Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan said. “He’s definitely the reason we won this game.”
The Heat led 77-70 midway through the fourth, but back-to-back baskets by Valanciunas shaved the gap to 80-78 with 3:18 remaining. Ross tied it with a jumper at 2:01.
Slovenian guard Goran Dragic scored 20, while British star Luol Deng had 12 points. Dragic was left bloodied after being hit by DeRozan’s elbow in the second. Dragic was called for a blocking foul on the play. He received three stitches on the inside of his lip and five on the outside during halftime, returning to start the second half