The Miami Heat, coming off a three day layoff, traveled to Toronto and were defeated 96-87 by a tough Raptors squad.
The Heat struggled to find good offense and consistent defense tonight, and although it may have felt like a disappointing effort, the young team was going up against a Raptors side that has legitimate expectations to contend for the Eastern Conference. Miami would have needed near perfect execution to steal the game on the road, and it simply didn’t come to fruition.
The first half started off well for Miami, as they were able to find efficient shots and get out in transition. They took an early 12 point lead and the Raptors seemed shell-shocked.
However, once Terrence Ross checked in, the tides quickly turned in Toronto’s favor. He torched the Heat in the first half to the tune of 16 points, and was a +15 in his time on the court. Toronto went on a 22-7 run as a result.
If it weren’t for Tyler Johnson also starting off the game hot, scoring 13 points and 3 threes by halftime, the game may have gotten out of hand even sooner for Miami. Aside from Johnson, however, the Heat didn’t get much else out of their bench, and they quickly saw their lead evaporate and become a 6-point deficit at half.
The second half belonged to Toronto’s star shooting guard Demar Derozan, who had 22 points after the break, and 34 for the game. No matter who Miami threw at him (Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Dion Waiters all got their turns), he was able to score with relative ease. Whether he was making runners, tough jumpers over good defense, or forcing fouls to get to the free throw line, Derozan was scoring almost at will.
Every time it felt like the Heat were a stop away from getting back into the game, Derozan would nail a shot to take back momentum for his team, which is what star players do. His efforts were doubly important because Kyle Lowry, Toronto’s other all-star, had an off night (13 points on 15 shot attempts, and 5 turnovers).
The Heat were able to cut the lead to 3 to end the third quarter, thanks in part to a surprising 9 point outburst by James Johnson. The run was short-lived though, as Toronto quickly extended the lead back to 10, thanks to a stifling defense that didn’t allow Miami a FG for over four minutes.
By the time Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside checked back in halfway through the final quarter, it was too late for the team to make a run, and Miami suffered their 3rd loss of the season. The Heat missed 10 of their last 12 three-point attempts.
It was a disappointing effort for most of the team; we’ll go into detail as we take a look at their grades for the game:
Josh Richardson saw his first action of the season, though his rustiness clearly showed: he went scoreless, didn’t have an assist, and finished with two turnovers in 11 minutes. Luke Babbitt went 1/5, had 3 points, and 5 rebounds.
Next up, Miami travels to Chesapeake Arena to face off with Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is at 8 PM.