UPDATE: James Johnson starts.
https://twitter.com/RaptorsMR/status/678006142904041472
The Toronto Raptors are visiting the Miami Heat. Normally, that sounds like it would be reason for celebration, because what could be better than a relaxing night in South Beach? As it were, the Raptors got in late last night, surely exhausted after losing to the Charlotte Hornets in overtime. Every starter except Luis Scola played at least 38 minutes, Kyle Lowry looked tired despite his best efforts, and a shorthanded squad is now also a tired one.
The 8 p.m. tip-off on TSN (1 and 4) has the makings of a sluggish one, and the Heat have inched from three-point favorites to five-point favorites since yesterday afternoon (it’s Raptors +4.5 in some places). Check out the full game preview here.
It’s worth remembering that the only blowout on the Raptors’ ledger before this week was a 20-point loss in Miami. That followed a night off in Miami, so maybe the back-to-back is actually a benefit in this case, precluding the team from getting their Will Smith on.
No Raptors updates
We know that DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas are traveling with the team on their three-game road-trip, but we have no idea when they may play. Odd though it may seem to bring them along and not play them, the team is right to exercise extreme caution with Carroll and Valanciunas was always believed to be at least two more weeks away.
Delon Wright and Bruno Caboclo remain with Raptors 905, so here’s what the rotation looks like for Friday:
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph
SG: Terrence Ross, Norman Powell
SF: DeMar DeRozan, James Johnson
PF: Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, A RealGM Forums Rumor That Anthony Bennett Still Exists
C: Bismack Biyombo, Lucas Nogueira
Heat without Johnson, McRoberts
While it’s not as big of a loss as if The Rock left Florida, the Miami Heat will be without one important Johnson on Friday. Reserve guard Tyler Johnson is out due to a bum shoulder, and they’ll also be without Josh McRoberts due to a knee issue. Both updates come from Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald.
Johnson has emerged as a quality combo-guard off the bench for the Heat this season, averaging 9.1 points and 1.8 assists in 20.9 minutes while hitting 45.7 percent of his threes. He killed the Raptors in November, scoring 10 points on 4-of-shooting and grabbing three rebounds in 23 highly effective minutes. Some of his minutes will shift to Beno Udrih, a quality pick-and-roll point guard who has played sparingly since being acquired for Stop Doing That What Are You Thinking Mario Chalmers.
McRoberts, meanwhile, has been slow to return to form after missing most of 2014-15 with a meniscus tear. In 20 games, he’s averaging 3.3 points, three rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting a woeful 40 percent from the floor and 13.6 percent from outside. Generally a gifted playmaker from the high post or outside the arc, he’s a smart fit on paper next to Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside but is yet to develop a chemistry with the latter; Bosh-McRoberts lineups are outscoring opponents by 10.1 points per-100 possessions in 225 minutes.
Deng good to go
Luol Deng, who is playing through an elbow injury, will play Friday. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has been trying to deploy Deng as a stretch-four more often, as his lack of outside shooting alongside Dwyane Wade can pose spacing problems.
“It helps a lot,” Spoelstra told the Miami Herald this week. “I want him comfortable and I want him to embrace and to see that his versatility is a great strength…We want him to unlock all of that to help our team.”
The absence of McRoberts will allow Spoelstra to do that more freely, potentially meaning counter-minutes for James Johnson at the four (or if the Raptors go small, a tougher task for DeRozan in the frontcourt).
Deng is averaging a career-low 10.2 points this year, shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from long-range. He’s kicking in 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.9 steals in his 29.9 minutes, but his efficiency is down for the most part and the Heat have been eight points per-100 possessions better with him on the bench. When Deng slides to the four, however, it gives Spoelstra the option of going Goran Dragic-Wade-Winslow-Deng one-to-four, a look that’s outscored opponents by 19.8 points per-100 possessions with Whiteside (88 minutes) as the center and 25.3 points per-100 possessions with Bosh at center (11 minutes).
The Heat will look something like this on Friday:
PG: Dragic, Udrih
SG: Wade, Gerald Green, Josh Richardson
SF: Deng, Winslow
PF: Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Jarnell Stokes
C: Whiteside, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Andersen
The Raptors need to jump out early, as the Heat’s starting group is the team’s worst lineup of any that have played at least 30 minutes together this season.
