MIAMI • Three of the four games of the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference semi-final series between the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors went to overtime.

That included Monday's game in which Dwyane Wade scored 30 points as Miami earned a 94-87 win at their American Airlines Arena home, tying the series at two games apiece.

"This is one heck of a series," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Was there any doubt this was going to overtime?"

Game 5 in the best-of-seven battle of attrition will be played today in Toronto.

The Heat have been without forward Chris Bosh (blood clots) since the All-Star break, and centre Hassan Whiteside is likely out for the rest of the series due to a knee injury he suffered on Saturday.

For Toronto, centre Jonas Valanciunas, also hurt on Saturday, is out for the series due to a sprained ankle.

Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan is playing with a jammed right thumb and point guard Kyle Lowry fouled out on Monday with 1min 58sec left.

The Heat, though, have the 34-year-old Wade, who is averaging 27.3 points in the series, playing as if he has turned back his odometer.

There is a reason for that, he said. "I put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes. I worked my tail off this summer to get to where I can still play at an elite level," he explained.

"When I'm healthy, I can play as good as anyone. After all the work I put in, somebody has to pay for it - that's my mentality."

On Monday, that was the Raptors, who blew a seven-point, fourth-quarter lead.

They had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Cory Joseph missed a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer.

After the game, Wade apologised to anyone who was offended by his actions before Saturday's Game 3. He took a few extra warm-up shots at the beginning of the singing of the Canadian national anthem.

On Monday, he made sure he was the first Miami player to line up for the playing of O Canada.

REUTERS