Well, Raptors fans… There’s only one more game left.
While some fans might be thanking the man above that this dreadful season is coming to an end, I tend to lean on the sadder side of things knowing that there will not be any form of Toronto basketball until the summer.
Alas, this will be the second straight game these two Eastern Conference foes will duel, with the last coming on Friday when Miami drained 17 shots from downtown and handled Toronto by 22 points 125-103.
All 30 teams will be in action on the final regular season game day of the year, meaning this game will go at an extra early tip-off at 1:00 pm ET along with six other games.
Raptors Outlook: 25-56 | 12th in Eastern Conference
Raptors Previous Results
@ Miami L 125-103
@ Brooklyn L 106-102
vs Indiana L 140-123
vs Washington W 130-122
@ Milwaukee W 117-111
This game doesn’t mean much for Toronto.
The Raptors are locked into the sixth-worst record in the association. They’ll have a 45.8 percent chance of keeping their pick, a 37.2 percent chance of moving into the top four, and a nine percent shot at landing the always coveted No.1 overall selection. If it falls out of the top six which has a 54.2% chance of doing so, the pick will go to the San Antonio Spurs, via the Jakob Poeltl trade.
If you were wondering how bad this Raptors season has been, it’s been among the bottom five record-wise in history. The 2023-2024 season is locked into being the fifth-worst all-time, with the rest of the top five as follows:
4. 2002-2003 (24-58)
3. 2010-2011 (22-60)
2. 1995-1996 (21-61)
Heat Outlook: 45-36 | 8th in Eastern Conference
Heat Previous Results
vs Toronto W 125-103
vs Dallas L 111-92
@ Atlanta W 117-111
@ Indiana L 117-115
@ Houston W 119-104
The Heat are the opposite of the Raptors in the fact that this game means quite a bit seeding-wise for Miami. The Heat can skip the play-in with a win, a Bucks win against the Magic, and one of these combos: Pacers win and Sixers loss, Pacers loss and Sixers win, and a Pacers loss and Sixers loss.
It will be interesting to see if it will be another score-by-committee approach for the Heat, as last game Miami had six different scorers in double figures, with Nikola Jovic leading the way with 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 1:00 p.m. ET
Television: Sportsnet One
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The Fan
Starting Lineups (Projected)
Miami Heat
PG: Tyler Herro
SG: Caleb Martin
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Nikola Jovic
C: Bam Adebayo
Toronto Raptors
PG: Javon Freeman-Liberty
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: Gradey Dick
PF: RJ Barrett
C: Kelly Olynyk
Injury Report
Heat
Duncan Robinson (Back) – Questionable
Terry Rozier (Neck) – Out
Josh Richardson (Shoulder) – Out
Raptors
Immanuel Quickley (Adductor) – Out
Mouhamadou Gueye (Thumb) – Out
Scottie Barnes (Hand) – Out
Jakob Poeltl (Hand) – Out
D.J. Carton (Ankle) – Out
Chris Boucher (Knee) – Out
Jontay Porter (Personal) – Out
FanDuel Betting Odds
Team | Spread | Money | Total |
Miami Heat | -15.5 (-112) | -1600 | O 220.5 (-112) |
Toronto Raptors | +15.5 (-108) | +900 | U 220.5 (-108) |
Taking the over could be considered as the last two times these pair of teams have matched up they have cleared the line easy.