Riding a hot streak

With the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks both suffering losses yesterday, the 14-5 Toronto Raptors are now the hottest team in the league. The defending champs have won seven straight games and they are also one of the four remaining squads to still be perfect on their home floor (8-0).

The Raptors will be fresh off decimating the Utah Jazz, 130-110. It was a one-sided affair that was pretty much over by the second quarter, as they went into halftime holding a 40-point lead.

The usual suspects lead the way for Toronto – Pascal Siakam (35 pts) and Fred VanVleet (21 pts, 11 ast) – and the other scoring options followed it up with balanced production. By game’s end, eight Raptors had reached double figures.

Key team veterans Kyle Lowry (thumb) and Serge Ibaka (ankle), who was activated but still sat out the Jazz game, are still questionable moving forward, so we should continue seeing Siakam (25.6 PPG) and VanVleet (18.6 PPG, 7.5 APG) be the Raps’ one-two punch.

The upstart Heat

The 14-5 Miami Heat come in having won back-to-back games. As arguably the biggest surprise team out East, the boys from the South Beach have jumped into a 14-5 record. They are now third in the conference and only two games back from the top spot.

The confidence of this Heat squad elevated up a notch in the recent win, where they showcased clutch play against the Brooklyn Nets by going on a 10-run in the final 1:45 of the game to earn a 109-106 victory.

Justise Winslow (12 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 4.4 APG) has returned from a back injury and he’s still being eased into playing minutes. Tomorrow will be his fourth-game back.

Winslow is one of the seven Heat players that are averaging in double-figures. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and rookie Kendrick Nunn headline that list for the starters, while veteran floor general Goran Dragic and another rising Heat rookie, Tyler Herro, lead it for the second unit.

The Heat are 6-5 on the road this season.

PREDICTION:

The Raptors win, 108-100, and show that they simple have better chemistry (at least for now).