 | MIA Heat | 111 | Final Box Score | 102 | TOR Raptors |  |
 B | A. Baynes13 MIN, 3 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/- Baynes was really impactful for the minutes he played tonight. The big Aussie played strong defence against Bam, snuffing out several opportunities that he would typically convert. He rebounded the ball particularly well and even chipped in on offense with a three. It wasn’t spectacular but it was his best game in quite some time. | |
 B- | P. Siakam36 MIN, 18 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 7-15 FG, 0-3 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -4 +/- A very meh game across the board for Siakam in this one. He struggled to get into a rhythm early, looking uncharacteristically indecisive on offense in the first frame. Then he started to string together a few crafty plays in a row, but in the fourth his game fell flat (as did his team). If Siakam wants to take the leap to the next level, consistency is something that needs to improve drastically. | |
 B- | K. Lowry36 MIN, 8 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 2-12 FG, 1-10 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -1 +/- Lowry played this game like he had a plane to catch at halftime. He came out of the gates with even more aggression than usual – extra zip in his dribbles, assertion on the offensive end and an effort to get to the line. Unfortunately, the results didn’t match Kyle’s hustle. Lowry rebounded and passed the ball well, but couldn’t buy one with his jumper, going 2/12 on the night. | |
 A | O. Anunoby39 MIN, 18 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 6-12 FG, 4-8 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 4 +/- One of the bright sparks this game was OG’s confidence. His shot looked great tonight, nailing half of the 8 threes he attempted, while also making some aggressive moves towards the rim. OG’s play helped keep the Raptor’s on life support in this one, but he needed more help from his teammates to prevent the Heat from eventually pulling the plug. | |
 A- | F. VanVleet36 MIN, 24 PTS, 5 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 7-18 FG, 3-8 3FG, 7-8 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -4 +/- Steady Freddy payed homage to his nickname tonight, just humming along doing what he does best: hit deep balls, protect the ball and set up his teammates for success. It’s early in the season, but VanVleet seems to be taking big strides with his game from and offensive workload and efficiency perspective – an encouraging sign for Dino fans. | |
 A | T. Davis24 MIN, 16 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL, 6-12 FG, 4-9 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 4 +/- On a night where the Raps bench got absolutely slaughtered, Davis was the only professional-looking player wearing black and red. TD was an absolute spark plug off the bench on Wednesday, posting an efficient 16 points in just 24 minutes of action. That’s two strong outings in a row for Davis, who’s quietly outplaying the likes of Norman Powell over the past few contests. More playing time might be in the sophomore’s future. | |
 C+ | C. Boucher22 MIN, 8 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -17 +/- It was one to forget for Boucher, as he was never truly able to make his presence felt in this one. His lanky and light frame posed problems for him as he was no match on the boards for Miami’s collection of strong, explosive bigs. They reduced Slim Duck to a 6 11′ perimeter shooter, which is not the player that Toronto has leaned on so heavily this season. | |
 C- | N. Powell18 MIN, 7 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 1-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -17 +/- Powell failed to impact the game with his calling card – aggression and a quick first step. He hesitated to make a play several times tonight, which ultimately cost his team opportunities to score. He joins a couple of the Raps bench who found themselves in the double digits of the +/- category. Yikes. | |
 D+ | S. Johnson11 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -9 +/- Stan didn’t have it tonight and Nurse played him accordingly. Not a whole lot to say about the 1 board in 11 minutes of action. | |
 C+ | Nick Nurse Nurse tried to fight fire with fire in this one, trying to outshoot the Miami Heat at their own game. It didn’t work and his team got burned for it. Toronto’s D was also abysmal tonight which in part was due to some poor lineups and defensive schemes by Nurse and his staff. | |
Things We Saw
- Toronto’s defence has been up and down like a yo-yo this season, and boy was it down tonight. When your opponent shoots 45% from the three point line, you’re going to have a tough time winning ball games.
- A few guys: Kyle, Pascal, Boucher, just didn’t have it tonight. Which begs the bigger question: can the Raptors compete if 4 of our top 6 guys don’t have awesome games? In years past the wealth of talent has made the answer to the question a resounding yes, but as pieces have left for greener pastures, Toronto’s starters are being forced to be on their A-game every night, to just be in games.
