OG Anunoby pushes the Toronto Raptors past the Miami Heat for a 112-104 victory

The Toronto Raptors made their way back home from a mini three-game road trip and were able to come away with a 112-104 win over the Miami Heat. This was a game that involved many players injured but that wasn't an excuse as both teams played with a great heart. However, the Raptors had an extra edge and that is largely due to the stellar play of OG Anunoby.

Throughout the first half, Miami had a good grasp of this game. Their defensive scheme was limiting any consecutive scoring opportunities for the Raptors, and overall disrupting the fluidity of their offence. The production from Max Strus was great once again, proving that he plays his best basketball against the Raptors. 

The sharpshooter had 15 of his 20 points in the first half alone. However, Toronto began to contain him, especially in the second half. It was worrisome once the Raptors fell to an 11-point deficit considering their performances within the past four games, but this game was a different story.

During the third quarter, Toronto went on a 21-0 run, taking the lead which they wouldn't lose for the rest of the game. OG Anunoby was everywhere on the court en route to a 32-point and 10-rebound performance. His elevation of play with Pascal Siakam out is a remnant of his start last season before he got injured when he was playing exceptional basketball.

Fred VanVleet in his return to the lineup was great with 23 points and eight assists, despite a poor shooting day from the field. Toronto's defence was amazing forcing 23 turnovers compared to just 14 on their side. The biggest story of the game was the complete domination on the glass from the Raptors outrebounding the Heat 42-23.

The absence of Bam Adebayo was incredibly detrimental to Miami and Toronto took advantage of that. Although Toronto was undermanned as well, their cohesion as a collective unit was a great sign for Nick Nurse and his coaching staff. Acquiring this win was huge for the Raptors, especially when looking at the difficulty of their upcoming games.

The Toronto Raptors now improve to 9-7 on the season and will focus their attention on the Atlanta Hawks who they will face on Saturday at 6 PM ET.