The Miami Heat are gunning for a season series sweep, but will face a confident Toronto Raptors team that’s coming off a key win and a masterful defensive performance.
HOME TEAM: Miami Heat (42-24, 27-5 at home)
The Heat boasted a dominant win their restart opener, and should feel a ton of momentum. They beat the Denver Nuggets, 125-105, thanks in good part to a red-hot fourth quarter from reserve big man Kelly Olynyk. The seven-year veteran came out of nowhere and tallied 20 of the team’s 31 points in the final period.
All-Stars Jimmy Butler (20.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.7 SPG) and Bam Adebayo (16.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.3 BPG) produced nicely as well, scoring 22 apiece and combining for 13 assists.
The good start will be a good boost to the Heat’s already overflowing confidence against the Raptors. Last December 4th, they won in overtime, 121-110, after outscoring the Raps in the extra frame, 13-2; while on January 3rd, their pesky defense held Toronto to a horrid 31.5% shooting and it led to an 84-76 victory.
ROAD TEAM: Toronto Raptors (47-18, 23-9 on the road)
The defending champs began the restart by reminding everyone why they’re still serious championship contenders, and why they own the top-ranked defense in the league (106.3 PAPG).
Toronto used a fourth quarter burst to run past the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday, 107-92, but it also featured great coverage on Anthony Davis. Through a classic help defense, the Raps silenced the All-Star big man to 14 points and a passive 2-for-7 shooting.
We’ll see if the guys can maintain the same energy on the very team-oriented Heat squad, which is quite the shift from what the Lakers have.
All-Stars Pascal Siakam (23.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.6 APG) and Kyle Lowry (20.6 PPG, 7.6 APG) will remain as the marquee weapons for the Raptors, especially the latter, whose 33 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists on Sunday almost outproduced Davis and LeBron James… combined.
Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka will be the secondary options, but watch out for two-way swingman OG Anunoby as well. He went off for 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting against the Lakers.
PREDICTIONS:
The Raptors have identical records at home and on the road (23-9), and they’re used to the bubble’s neutral court set-up. We should be able to see that tomorrow as they finally crack their Heat puzzle. I expect them to get this one, 109-101.
