Toronto pulled out a gutsy affair in their most recent contest against Miami on December 15. In a game where it looked like Miami had full grasp of control, the Raptors were able to turn up the heat (pun intended) and fought back to step up their play. The Raps dominated the second half, outscoring the Heat 60 to 44, and eventually pulled off a 106-96 win.
While many individual Raptors players deserve credit for the Heat win, including defensive ace Scottie Barnes and playmaking maestro Jamal Shead, Toronto undoubtedly received a huge boost from their big-time offensive threat Brandon Ingram. He finished with 28 points on 9-for-19 shooting, including 5-for-7 from three and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Ingram also contributed five rebounds, five assists, and one block.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic talked about Ingram in his post-game interview after beating Miami on December 15, saying (YouTube link here):
"He is very consistent. He's getting to his spots on the floor. He's getting really good shots. He had five assists tonight, five rebounds, shot the ball well, played the defense [sic] really engaged. I think that he played great [sic] game for us. "Darko Rajakovic
Actually, Brandon Ingram’s three games with the Toronto Raptors pretty much represent what the front office hoped the Brandon Ingram experience would be about. But in the two games before this win against the Heat, the Raptors came up short, which kinda overshadowed the brilliance of the "Notorious B.I.3" a little bit.
Raptors need this version of Brandon Ingram to hold
Ingram's averages over his last three games are 29.7 points with a 54.4 percent field goal percentage, 63.2 percent from three on about 6.3 attempts per game with 4.0 made, along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
I am especially impressed with Ingram's uptick from beyond the arc, considering he's been trending around the low thirties in three-point percentage for a long stretch of the season. Now, Ingram sits at a comfortable 35.2 percent from deep, given his strong three-point play in these last three games. It also harkens back to the numerous pleas for BI to buy into taking more threes to complement his already expert mid-range scoring arsenal.
November was a bit of an up-and-down month for Brandon Ingram, but he had several performances where his presence on the court made the difference in a win (or loss) for Toronto. Now in December, where the start hasn’t been the smoothest for BI, it’s encouraging to see him back in a streak of strong play and helping to build momentum for the Raptors with a gritty win over Miami, who will undoubtedly be pressing hard on Toronto as the playoff season heats up.