The Toronto Raptors put forth one of their best performances of the season for a massive 121-97 win over the Miami Heat. This was a shock since the Raptors were undermanned due to their events earlier in the day, which involved the departure of an all-time franchise great.
It was announced today by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Toronto Raptors will be trading Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks. The New Orleans Pelicans were included in the trade and sent Kira Lewis Jr. to Toronto. Without Siakam, Toronto’s odds against Miami were shifted massively into the Heat’s favour but the start of this game would be a complete shock.
The Raptors had their best first-half performance of the season and did so in electric fashion. Toronto scored 78 points and had a 35-point lead going into the half. From connecting on only four three-pointers in the last game against the Boston Celtics, tonight, Toronto converted on 14 threes in just the first half alone.
Toronto’s starting lineup was sensational down the line, especially their guards. Immanuel Quickley flirted with a triple-double finishing with 17 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. The Raptors’ best player tonight was Gary Trent Jr. who finished with a game-high 28 points on an insanely efficient 8-9 from beyond the arc.
Although the score suggests this game was a thrashing, which it was, Toronto nearly let this game slip away. In the third quarter, the Heat outscored the Raptors 30-16. Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler finished with 16 points each and did a lot of their damage in the second half. They were able to cut the once 37-point lead down 14 points. However, Toronto was able to bounce back and build enough of a cushion to close out this game comfortably.
RJ Barrett continues his stellar play with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Scottie Barnes finished with 20 points, eight assists, and five rebounds in his new increased role, including major baskets in the fourth.
The Toronto Raptors are officially in their new era and letting go of players of a glorious past, with this win, things are in the right direction. The Raptors improved to 16-25 on the season. Their next game will be against the Chicago Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back, which will be nationally televised on TNT on Thursday at 7:30 PM ET.
