Kyle Lowry gets his revenge on the team that ditched him
The Miami Heat jettisoned Kyle Lowry to add Terry Rozier at the trade deadline. Wednesday night, he helped send his new team to the playoffs at his old team's expense.
Lowry fought back from knee injuries last season to play in the Heat's run to the Finals. He started 35 games for Miami this season before the relationship with the team seemed to suddenly sour. When weather delayed Lowry's travel, he was scratched from the starting lineup for a game with Atlanta on Jan. 20.
Coach Erik Spoelstra demoted Lowry to the bench, and within the week he was traded to Charlotte for Rozier. Though Spoelstra had nothing but praise for Lowry after the deal, clearly there was tension behind the scenes.
Down the stretch Wednesday night, Lowry reminded Miami what he brings to the table. He forced a turnover from Jaime Jaquez Jr., leading to a three-pointer. Then his pressure on defense led to a back court violation on Tyler Herro. And on a desperate inbounds play late, with Philadelphia out of timeouts, Lowry fell, got up then hit the floor preserving Nicolas Batum's pass.
Lowry finished with seven points, five rebounds and two steals, one of them being a true game-changing play. He advanced to the playoffs for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, and should be starting when the 76ers face the New York Knicks this weekend.
As for the Heat, they'll have their hands full with the Chicago Bulls, while Lowry reminds them of what they lost.
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