Lowry: 'I can play 48 if they need me'

Even as he's struggled mightily with his jump shot, the Toronto Raptors have been a trainwreck on both ends of the floor this postseason when Kyle Lowry sits.

In the 116 minutes he's been on the bench in the playoffs - the equivalent of nearly two-and-a-half games - the Raptors have been outscored by 32.3 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. By comparison, in the 475 minutes he's been on court, the Raptors have outscored their opposition by 4.3 points per 100. That on/off differential is the most significant of any remaining player and team in the playoffs.

In their Game 5 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, they were a plus-25 in Lowry's 41 minutes, and still had to sweat out a taut finish because they were minus-17 in seven minutes without him. So, with Friday's closeout game in Miami looming, the Raptors may decide that 41 minutes simply isn't enough. Lowry, for his part, is prepared for anything.

"I can play 48 if they need me," he said at shootaround Friday.

Lowry has played 47 minutes on two occasions this season (both in overtime games), and one of those was in Game 2 of this series against the Heat. He's played at least 40 minutes in four of the series' five games so far, and he fouled out of the fifth. Playing the whole game might be a stretch, but he's proved that durability won't be an issue.

The Raptors failed to close out their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers on the road. They missed a golden opportunity to win Game 4 and go up 3-1 on Miami, after Lowry fouled out. If they want to avoid the same fate in Friday's Game 6, the solution may be riding their point guard as long as they can.