The Toronto Raptors ended their road trip with a loss in Miami to the Heat. While they started out the game well and getting out to a lead, it was in part due to Miami missing their threes in the first half that helped Toronto keep them at bay.
That turned in the second half. Miami finished with 21 made threes, including 14 in the second half, to finish off the Raptors 121-111.
Scottie Barnes put up a 24-point, 10 rebound, 10-assist triple-double (the sixth of his career), which helped him pass Pascal Siakam for second all-time on the franchise’s all-time list. He’s now 11 triple-doubles away from the record held by Kyle Lowry.
Jakob Poeltl had an efficient 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting, and that was, in large part, due to the Heat switching pick-and-roll actions between Barnes and Poeltl and the big Austrian feasting on the inside against smaller players. The chemistry between the two continues to develop.
RJ Barrett dropped 25 points and added in seven assists on 55% shooting, and while he was fine offensively, he struggled to contain Jimmy Butler defensively, who put up 26 points and six assists himself.
Ultimately, what killed the Raptors was turnovers.
Toronto committed 17 turnovers, which led to 24 points for the Heat, and Miami took 14 more shots thanks to the Raptors’ poor decisions.
Elsewhere, Ja’Kobe Walter got his second NBA start and put up six points, two assists and, a steal and a block in 25 minutes. The rookie flashed a few nice plays, including a timely block and a nice mid-range pull-up jumper. Jonathan Mogbo was also effective in the second quarter, making his hometown debut for the first time in his career.
If you’d like a more analytical breakdown of the game, check out my full breakdown on the Raptors Republic Youtube Channel.
Enjoy!