 | Patrick Patterson, PF Shot Chart 15 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -11With Amir out, he got to start, and quickly scored a big blow for the #TeamAmir followers in the long-term starting discussion. His impact on the court was next to negligible on both ends. I know he’s not a rebounder, but with this small Heat lineup, you have to be prepared to do all you can to take advantage. Really ugly game. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF Shot Chart 17 MIN | 2-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | -13Liked his aggressiveness in going to the hoop early in the game, but had some serious issues checking Wade and was rightly benched down the stretch for James Johnson. Looked like he had the shooting yips, like most of the backcourt. Not a great night. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C Shot Chart 29 MIN | 6-12 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | -11He’s a force down low offensively, and he was the Raptors’ only source of rebounds for big stretches of the night. It was a bad defensive matchup for him against Bosh, though, so he has to make sure Miami really pays on the glass and at the rim offensively, and he was only so-so at doing that. I really wish they looked for him more on the pick and roll – he seemed to be open almost every time, but got looked off by the backcourt more than once. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG Shot Chart 37 MIN | 7-11 FG | 7-13 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 22 PTS | -13Was his usual bullish self on offence, hitting most of his attempts from the field and getting to the line with aplomb. When he got there, though, he couldn’t seem to hit anything. Didn’t get any favours from the refs, who wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt on a couple charge calls. Frustrating night for him, I’m sure. |  |
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG Shot Chart 41 MIN | 11-22 FG | 7-12 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 4 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 30 PTS | -3It’s like he’s playing two games at the same time: in one, he’s an absolute superstar, hitting impossible shots and cutting through multiple defenders to finish and and-1. In the other, he overdribbles, clangs spinning 16-footers and gets manhandled defensively. He’s a yin-yang player: you have to take the good with the bad. He was great in the fourth, which, along with his massive share of the team scoring, pull him up to a B+, but this didn’t feel like a B+ game. | |
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF Shot Chart 24 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | +9Played some extended minutes against the small-ball Heat, but it was largely more of the same: lots of activity, not a ton of execution. He’s certainly making more of an impact on games than I remember him doing on a regular basis last year, and he’s fun to watch. |  |
 | James Johnson, PF Shot Chart 20 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 3 BLK | 1 TO | 8 PTS | 0Demar’s scoreline will get the attention, but this guy was the best player on the Raptors tonight. He’s extremely effective offensively when he just puts his head down and drives to the hoop, and he was the only player who was able to slow down Wade at any point (and also put in some work against Bosh). An excellent performance when most of his team seemed sluggish at times. |  |
 | Chuck Hayes, C Shot Chart 12 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 0 PTS | +3Got a longer look tonight with Amir out and proceeded to completely throw Chris Bosh out of rhythm. Three shot attempts is too many, even if they’re bunnies, but he Chuck Hayes’d all over the place tonight. One of the few Raptors to play above-average defence pre 4th-quarter. | |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG Shot Chart 25 MIN | 5-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | -1The guy loves to pull the trigger, doesn’t he? Decent shooting night during a game where we finally saw some Lowry/Vasquez/DeMar looks. It was more out of necessity than for an advantage against the small-ball Heat, but I hope we continue to see it even after Amir returns to the lineup. Called for an ugly T in the first half, which can’t happen. | |
 | Louis Williams, SG Shot Chart 21 MIN | 1-4 FG | 6-10 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 8 PTS | +15He’s the combo guard version of Rudy Gay. Gets to the line way more often than he should, dribbles too much, puts up crazy mid-range jumpers that he often makes, all of it. His shot wasn’t on tonight, and he got absolutely manhandled by Shabazz Napier early in the game, but those points off the bench do have to come from somewhere. You can tell he’s still trying to figure out how to split touches with Vasquez, and having no interior options with the Hansbrough/Hayes combo doesn’t help matters. |  |
 | Dwane Casey Struggled at finding effective lineups with Amir Johnson out for the night – he inserted Patterson into the starting five yet continued with the hockey style five-on-five-off platoon through the entire first half. It was only after Patterson and Valanciunas got into foul trouble that he started experimenting with smaller sets, which is when the team started seeing more success. Found some better combinations in the fourth, but the team was facing a steep uphill climb at that point. |  |
Four Things We Saw
- This game did not feel as close as the scoreline indicated – the Raptors were out-rebounded 43-28, out-assisted 22-11, and were brutal from the free-throw line. It was 6 minutes of strong play in the fourth that brought them within striking distance.
- The final score is a testament to the team’s grit, though – on a sluggish night, they were able to grit out a decent defensive effort and give themselves a chance against a good team. It seemed like the only reason the Raptors weren’t in the game for most of the night was because of easily fixable things, though, which is where the promise lies for this team. If they were tuned in, this easily could have been a 10-point win. That’s how it felt, anyway.
- Get well soon, Amir Johnson. Your presence was sorely missed on both ends tonight.
- Tomahawk slam in the first half, rips his own jersey Hulk Hogan style in the second half: Josh McRoberts, you the real MVP.
