In what will be the second straight matchup against the struggling Toronto Raptors, the Miami Heat head on the road looking to sweep the two-game stretch. After winning four of their last five games, and 5-2 over their last 7, Miami has climbed back into the East’s 5th seed.
It will be crucial to continue taking advantage of this easier part of their schedule, as they are set to head to Boston to face the reigning NBA champions tomorrow night. After this evenings Raptor’s game, the Heat will face playoff contending teams in each of the next eight straight outings.
In order to pick up the win in Toronto, Miami will look for continued dominance from their core of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Butler led all scorers on Friday night with 26 points and 6 assists, as Herro contributed 23 points. Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were able to add a much needed bench spark, combining for 27 points between the two.
However, it was Adebayo who rose to the occasion as the player of the game. His 14/10/10 triple double effort brought impactful versatility to the rotation on route to the victory.
The Raptors win was truly a tale of two halves, where the Heat started the game shooting an abysmal 2/20 from 3-point range as a team. But they turned it around in impressive fashion to finish the game 21/54 from deep— the most attempts of the entire season. Coach Erik Spoelstra put an emphasis on increased 3-point volume heading into the season, and that formula helped Miami steal a win after an incredibly slow start.
Toronto’s injury woes will be the same story for tonight’s matchup, as they are missing a few of their core contributors. Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett each added 24+ point performances in the Friday loss, but got minimal help from the rest of their rotation.
Tip-off is set for an early night 6:00 PM EST game on FanDuel SN Sun.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- Nikola Jovic (ankle) — OUT
- Josh Richardson (illness) — OUT
- Josh Christopher (g-league) — OUT
- Keshad Johnson (g-league) — OUT
Toronto Raptors:
- Bruce Brown (conditioning) — OUT
- Kelly Olynyk (back) — OUT
- Gradey Dick (calf) — OUT
- Immanuel Quickley (elbow) — OUT
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Tyler Herro, G
- Duncan Robinson, G
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Haywood Highsmith, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
Toronto Raptors:
- Ja’Kobe Walter, G
- Scottie Barnes, G
- RJ Barrett, F
- Ochai Agbaji, F
- Jakob Poeltl, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 6:00 PM EST
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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After this evenings Raptor’s game, the Heat will face playoff contending teams in each of the next eight straight scheduled outings.
Furthermore, since the Heat has been eliminated from the Emirates Cup (In-Season) Tournament, the team will have two additional games scheduled against other non-qualifying teams which are yet to be determined.
Atlanta is the only Eastern Conference team that has qualified to continue in the tournament, while teams such as Cleveland and Indiana have been eliminated.