Takeaways as the Toronto Raptors lose heat against the Miami Heat

Competition

Despite remaining shorthanded, the Toronto Raptors can compete with some elite teams. Despite the loss, the Toronto Raptors showed that they can defend and hold strong offensive teams to low-level production.

Early season rebounding issues seemed to have sorted themselves out with the team looking to rebound collectively rather than the rebounding task falling on the front-court. What remains is offensive consistency that will come with more threats returning in Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell.

This game reinforced that the Raptors defense is elite. They were closing out on players throughout the game and were allowing minimal open shots. They made sure to keep Jimmy Butler out of the offensive spotlight and played smart basketball when rotating.

Yes, the Raptors were only able to put up 76 points but this was an off night. They were getting a lot of looks that normally fall for them. There was hesitation and uncertainty while running the offense. But it’s a long season and this is to be expected.

The Toronto Raptors were able to play a strong defensive game throughout but it wasn’t enough to take down the Heat. Nevertheless, an off night is bound to happen and a bounce back is inevitable with this team.