Takeaways as the Toronto Raptors lose heat against the Miami Heat
By Lee Tanner
The defensive strength of the Toronto Raptors was not enough to balance their offensive struggles against the Miami Heat. What were the takeaways from the Thursday night outing?
After a strong 20 point win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors entered the Miami Heat’s AmericanAirlines Arena where only one team has been able to take down the host so far this season. The game was the first of the Raptors’ quick two-game road trip before returning home.
The last outing between these two teams was a much different game as the final score was a 121-110 win for Miami. Fans saw much more of a balanced game with offense and defense playing into who was going to win.
In the second game, the Heat came away from a messy game with an 84-76 win that was only decided in the final quarter.
There were minimal Raptors players that played to expectations with the exception of the double double-double performances from Serge Ibaka who finished the night 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks and OG Anunoby with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals.
The rest of the team seemed to struggle to produce any sufficient numbers or were able to be a part of stringing any sort of run together. The long-distance shooting was a major issue with the team finishing with a 14.3 three-point percentage. Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry combined for 3-of-23 from the three-point line and weren’t much more efficient from inside the line.
Surprisingly, the Raptors kept it a close contest up until the end where the Heat were able to put together a run that sealed the game. With only one of the Heat’s starting five reaching double digits, they looked towards their bench to pick up some of the offensive slack.
It was the guard combo of Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro, who both finished with 13 points while shooting a combined 6-of-13 from long-range, that pushed the Heat past the Raptors and dissolved any sort of flame that could have arisen for a late-game comeback.
With the game in the past, let’s take a look at some of the takeaways from the second match-up between these two teams.