Two days after their first confrontation of the season in Miami, narrowly won by the locals (112-109), the Heat and the Raptors are doing it again, still in Florida. No Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic on one side, suspended for one game after the altercation with rookie Christian Koloko, and above all, no Scottie Barnes on the other, injured in the ankle during the first game.
A second round between the two formations which turns out to be very sluggish to start, even if finally quite disputed. A lot of waste in attack in the first half, and de facto a weak address on both sides: 18/45 (4/13 three-point) for Toronto, 15/43 (4/18) for Miami. To circumvent the problem, the Raptors then insist especially near the circle with 26 points in the paint, including 16 scored on counter-attack, while the Heat limit the breakage thanks to their leaders (29 points scored by Herro – Butler – Adebayo) .
At the break, Toronto held a narrow lead (48-43).
Back from the locker room, it’s still just as desolate in attack, with two teams falling below 40% success in shooting. It’s ugly and disjointed, but that does not prevent the Heat from planting 33 points in the third quarter, relying almost exclusively on its trio, which continues to gain strength. The Raptors can’t count on the same diversity of offensive options, since Fred VanVleet is far too lonely.
And yet, it was the clumsiest of the Raptors’ five majors, Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr, who overthrew the locals in the last quarter, notably with two decisive award-winning shots in the “money-time”. At the same time, the Heat fails to capitalize on its offensive explosion of the previous quarter: five lost balls and 14 small points at 6/20 on shots in this last act condemn the chances of victory for Coach Spoelstra’s men.
The mass is said, and Toronto takes its revenge at the end of a match which will have ceased to be messy and imprecise (98-90).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Airs of “hold-up” for the Raptors. In the first half, the Raptors were the less bad of the two teams on offense. Then in the third quarter, they took on water in defense, and the momentum seemed to switch to the Heat. And finally, in the last act, they got out of it thanks to the awakening of their two most awkward players of the meeting. The victory is certainly deserved for Toronto, whose resilience is to be applauded, but the airs of “hold-up” are undeniable.
– For Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr, the important thing is the landing. Funny match for the two holders of Toronto, next to the plate in attack during 3/4 of the game before planting decisive shots in hot moments. The first, still active in the other compartments of the game despite the clumsiness, even approaches the triple-double under these conditions (23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks). The important thing in basketball is to finish well.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ The Heat trio. There is certainly the defeat at the end of the day, but Tyler Herro (22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists), Jimmy Butler (26/8/4) and Bam Adebayo (14/10/3) do not have much to blame themselves as they carried their team. Between them, they compile 62 of the Heat’s 90 points.
✅ Fred VanVleet. Good match for the back of the Raptors, the only player on his team to have been consistent throughout the game before finally receiving help at the end of the game. He compiles 24 points (6/16) and 9 assists, and deserves, more than any other Raptor, this victory acquired in pain.
✅ Precious Achiuwa. XXL performance off the bench for the energetic interior of the Raptors: 10 points and… 22 rebounds! He was the only reason for satisfaction among players from Toronto who are not called Fred VanVleet or Pascal Siakam.
⛔️ Other Heat players, who scored only 28 points in total while the trio mentioned above scored the other 62. The game was particularly messy for all players on both teams, but such offensive anemia from the supporting cast of Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo was far too difficult for the Heat to overcome collectively.
THE FOLLOWING
– Heat : first trip to the West: Portland in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (4h)
– Raptors : reception of the 76ers, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (1h30)
