Grades from Toronto Raptors ugly road loss to the Miami Heat

B-. Kyle Lowry was the fearless leader in this contest. He fared much better than VanVleet against the Heat’s massive size advantage despite shooting 4-for-16 from the field, he got to the free-throw line six times, making five and also dishing out eight assists compared to only one turnover. Also worth mentioning, Lowry spent almost all the game guarding<a href=. Point Guard. Toronto Raptors. KYLE LOWRY

D+. This game was not long for Fred VanVleet. He struggled mightily against the size and tenacity of Miami’s perimeter defenders. Specifically, <a href=. PG. Toronto Raptors. FRED VANVLEET

PATRICK MCCAW. D. After easily his best game in a Toronto uniform against Cleveland, <a href=. Shooting Guard. Toronto Raptors

A-. OG Anunoby unequivocally had the best game of anyone on the Raptors. He guarded almost everyone on the Heat’s roster at one point in Thursday’s contest. Anunoby spent a lot of time on <a href=. Small Forward. Toronto Raptors. OG ANUNOBY

C-. Serge Ibaka and VanVleet took 15 of Toronto’s first 18 shots from the field, a testament to how hard they were going to shoot themselves out of their in-game slump. Ibaka—much like the entire Raptors team on Thursday—couldn’t get anything to fall from 3-point range (0-for-4). And out of his nine makes, only one was outside the paint. That was no good for Ibaka against a team with enough athleticism to give him fits around the basket. Even with his poor shooting and lack of elite explosion at this point in his career, Ibaka finished with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double with two blocks. A few makes in the opening frame and the complexion of this game is completely different. Credit to Ibaka for staying aggressive and hunting for looks despite a cold shooting night, a show of confidence to say the least.. Center. Toronto Raptors. SERGE IBAKA