 | Toronto | 101 | Final Box Score | 84 | Miami |  |
 B | D. Carroll21 MIN, 7 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-3 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 0 +/- Opened the game with a nice layup, but couldn’t hit his triples. Played quality defense in stretches, appearing out of thin air for steals and going after loose balls. Took one for the team, falling dangerously and sticking Whiteside with his fourth foul in the third. | |
 B+ | P. Tucker33 MIN, 9 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 3-8 FG, 3-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -8 +/- Didn’t make his usual defensive impact early on with the starting lineup. May have been a different story had Waiters been in uniform. Picked up the defense alongside the rest of the squad from the second quarter onwards. Made three triples (one of them to ice the game) and kept the ball moving on offense. | |
 C+ | J. Valanciunas21 MIN, 2 PTS, 8 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-4 FT, 2 BLK, 3 TO, -8 +/- Unfortunately continues to look two steps slower than every other player on the court. This weakness comes into sharp focus when compared with Poeltl’s quick hands and feet. Was a non-factor in the first quarter, but picked up his aggression and activity in the second. Got called for three successive fouls within a short stretch and headed to the pine, recording no points and only 2 rebounds in the first half. His third quarter included a nice block on Dragic, but also a pass to the back heel of Tucker for a turnover. | |
 B- | C. Joseph29 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3-8 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, -4 +/- Missed every shot conceivable in the first quarter, and both he and Valanciunas couldn’t keep up with Dragic on the pick and roll early on. He course-corrected in the second, no longer allowing Miami’s point guard to penetrate at will. | |
 A+ | D. DeRozan36 MIN, 40 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 14-25 FG, 0-2 3FG, 12-13 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 3 +/- Carried the team’s offense early when they struggled to create shot opportunities (14 of team’s first 20). Made a long two with JJ in his face when the ex-Raptor first entered the game. Had 24 at the half on 67% (!) shooting, and did not slow down at all in the second. DeMar is evolving into a leader and a clutch performer in Lowry’s absence – no longer is he just an elite scorer. This is so exciting. | |
 B+ | N. Powell26 MIN, 14 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 5-10 FG, 2-5 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 24 +/- Norm has been up and down in the new role intended for him – the scoring punch off the bench that the offense defaults to in late shot clock scenarios. He has the talent though, so I’m confident he will thrive as a sixth man consistently in due time. Today was definitely one of the good days. Had a vicious dunk midway through the second period. | |
 A | D. Wright24 MIN, 13 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 4-7 FG, 0-0 3FG, 5-7 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 26 +/- Very solid in his first half minutes, was a big part of Toronto’s strong defense, and led the team in rebounds at the half with 5. Had a beautiful assist to Patterson late in third after sending consecutive defenders flying the wrong way. Followed that up with made free throws and a strong and-one, breaking open his own personal offensive flood gates. | |
 A | J. Poeltl23 MIN, 4 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 30 +/- The rook’s deflection game is on point. He keeps balls alive on offense and wins them back on defense with impressively quick reactions for a big man. Had an unusually short leash in the first quarter when Casey elected to go small. Continues to get abused by the zebras, can’t imagine how frustrating that must be. Had a crucial putback when Miami was trying to make a run late in the fourth, as part of a stretch when he absolutely dominated the offensive glass, and led the team in plus minus. | |
 B | P. Patterson22 MIN, 5 PTS, 10 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-8 FG, 0-4 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 16 +/- Failed to hit open threes yet again, but to his credit led the team in rebounds. Patterson always came out of prolonged slumps with good shooting stretches in the past, but his current poor form has been going on for what seems like forever. He’s got 3 more weeks. | |
 Inc | F. VanVleet5 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 6 +/- Was a part of the 2nd quarter lockdown unit, but did not see much action after that. | |
 A | Dwane Casey Came into the contest against the hottest team in the league without two of his Big 3, and outside of the mandatory poor start, had them dismantle Miami’s offense entirely in the last three quarters. He kept the team’s flow going with rotations that worked well, and only had two players with more than 30 minutes (DeRozan at 36 and Tucker with 33). | |
Things We Saw
- Very lackadaisical rotations led to an early 7-2 Heat lead, which became 14-5 following a quick timeout. After allowing 33 points in the first quarter, the Raptors defense responded in the second, limiting the Heat to just 14 points, and turned the game into another grind-it-out affair. The Heat only scored 51 points from the second quarter on.
- As impressive as Patterson’s rim protection was late in the game against the Bulls, he won’t scare anyone driving to the bucket, and playing him at the 5 is not conducive to winning the rebounding contest either. Credit to Casey, after closing out the first frame with that setup to questionable effect, Poeltl and JV took turns anchoring the defense the rest of the way.
- The Heat average just under 10 triples made per game, and the Raptors held them to 6/23, 4 of those coming in the opening frame. The effort was apparent, and the game plan worked admirably.
- The James Johnson experience was in full display, as he combined inspiring plays and blocks with missed threes and turnovers. Peak James Johnson: a missed shot from well behind the backboard late in the third.
