The Toronto Raptors played well for about 18 minutes tonight. Nothing more, nothing less.
For the first 1.5 quarters of this game, the Raptors dominated. The ball was moving; they were defending the Heat, forcing turnovers, and looking like a team that didn’t miss their All-Star Scottie Barnes, who was sitting out his first game with a brand-new sprained ankle.
But that went south quickly. Miami went on a 26-7 run to end the second quarter, taking the lead and never looking back. Toronto led by as much as 16 points but fell down by as much as 20 and ended up losing by 10.
They didn’t do much to stop the Heat defensively. Miami shot 50% from the field and 40% from three. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo combined for 44 points, while Adebayo added 16 rebounds and five assists. Jimmy Butler, trade rumours looming, only played 29 minutes, took eight shots, and scored 11 points.
For the Raptors, Gradey Dick led the way with 22 points on 19 shots. He took 11 threes and made three. He was the only player even remotely effective on offense tonight. RJ Barrett struggled, and despite finishing with a triple-double (the second of his career), he shot 27% from the field and committed six turnovers.
All in all, it was ugly and drawn out, and the Raptors looked like a team missing two of its highest-paid players in Barnes and Quickley.
Luckily for them, they only play four more games over the next two weeks. The slower pace in the schedule should help them practice and adjust to life without Barnes while hopefully allowing Bruce Brown and maybe even Quickley to ramp up and rejoin the team.
If you’d like a more detailed game breakdown, check out Esfandiar Baraheni’s recap and subscribe to the Raptors Republic YouTube channel.
Enjoy.
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