Raptors' Bismack Biyombo posterizes Amar'e Stoudemire with ferocious dunk
Centre steps up in place of injured Valanciunas
With Jonas Valanciunas sidelined for the remainder of the series with a sprained ankle, the Toronto Raptors called upon Bismack Biyombo to start in his place against the Miami Heat in Game 4 on Monday night.
Biyombo clearly came ready to play.
Early in the first quarter, Biyombo gathered himself and crushed a huge dunk over Heat centre Amar'e Stoudemire.
FEROCIOUS. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAVine?src=hash">#NBAVine</a> <a href="https://t.co/Cfrdo1VpuH">https://t.co/Cfrdo1VpuH</a>
—@NBAThis wasn't the matchup at the five spot that one might have expected, but the Heat also had to call upon their backup — Stoudemire — because usual starter Hassan Whiteside is out with a knee injury.
The starting role isn't unfamiliar territory to Biyombo, as he filled in 22 times during the regular season when Valanciunas was out with a hand injury.
Biyombo, who will be a free agent this summer, averaged 7.2 points and 12.1 rebounds in those starts.
In the first quarter alone on Monday, he scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds.
However, the moment lost a bit of its shine as the Raptors ended up losing 94-87 in overtime.