The Raptors and Heat were in similar positions. Both had strong starts to the season and were desperate to snap their four-game losing streaks. Both are defensive-minded underdog teams with a proclivity for the unconventional. Miami uses the least pick-and-rolls in the league, and Toronto doesn’t use a whole lot of them either.
It was a game of many runs and Toronto managed to slow the fastest team in the league down to a pace of 99.5. The Raptors outshot the Heat from downtown too; the former went 16-for-40 (40%), while Miami shot a putrid 9-31 (29%).
Scottie had 16 points and 10 rebounds with two fourth-quarter putbacks (two of his four offensive boards came in the final frame) that helped the Raptors put their stamp on this game. His first one put the Raps up 10, and the second one was a nail in the coffin, which put the Raps up eight with 36 seconds left. They would go on to win 106-96.
This game started out as a 3-point shooting contest. Quickley missed the corner 3, Wiggins hit his, and then Adebayo followed suit. Before the first timeout, the Raptors had attempted only one non-3-point shot. BI hit both his 3s in the first quarter and he went 4-6 from the field. Gradey Dick had two steals, one of them leading to Mamu’s 3, and Dick knocked one down at the end of the first frame.
In the second quarter, Norm Powell baited a Raptor into a foul (he led the game in fouls drawn with seven; BI led the Raptors with five). Dick maintained some of his momentum, stutter ripping from the baseline and left Powell eating his dust only for the pass to be intercepted by Keshad Johnson’s long arms. Miami quickly got out on a 14-0 run.
But the Raptors kept the second quarter close. When the team was reticent to shoot the ball – or, perhaps, they were trying to play the Heat deeper into the shot clock – Shead made a 3. BI splashed one (one of his incredible five made 3s on seven attempts) to tie the game at 38 apiece. But then, the Heat went on a 14-8 run to close the first half with with a six-point lead, ending with former Raptor Davion Mitchell hitting a step-back 3 on IQ.
In the third quarter, IQ hit a triple and got a steal. Scottie really came alive in the second half. He had a nice contest on Mitchell’s 3 and when he was called for an offensive “What!!?? But that’s not a foul!” call, he channelled that frustration. Scottie willed himself a basket in the ensuing possession and then went to the post and bought himself a bucket.
When Mamu tried to match the Heat’s pace, he dribbled off his foot. The Heat would go on a 9-0 run towards the end of the third quarter, but Scottie’s lay-up would keep the Raptors within three. The Raptors kept displaying tons of effort throughout the game. Shead sprinted full court to the opposite corner after missing his lay-up. He deflected the ball and allowed the Raptors to regain possession.
A lay-up by Dick and IQ were part of the Raptors’ 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Again, Shead came up with big plays – drawing an offensive foul from Jaime Jaquez and then assisting Scottie on the following possession. When Norm drew another foul in the fourth, he answered with a smooth Iverson crossover on him, touched the paint, and hit a floater. Dulux employee of the month.
Aside from Scottie’s two putbacks, he was incredible on the defensive end too. He got beat by Mitchell, but then recovered and blocked him. He somehow managed a chase-down block after missing a corner 3.
There were still some late fourth quarter issues with overrelying on BI (he led all scorers with 28 points and had five rebounds and assists). In one possession, BI got doubled at the top of the arc late into the shot clock, and he hoisted a 3. We all saw IQ desperately clapping his hands for the ball.
But snapping a four-game losing streak against a rival is a big win. Perhaps, this will be a clean slate to build from.
