The Centre Videotron in Quebec City finally was able to host its first NBA Canada Series game, a matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. It didn’t go in the home team’s favour, as Toronto fell 129-105 to the heat. Regardless, it was a fun matchup that will prove to be great all season.
RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes were the biggest contributors for the Raptors tonight with 15-3-1 and 11-2-2 respectively despite playing less than half of what they usually do. Collin Murray-Boyles also had
a great night, seeing some challenging defensive matchups but staying engaged, and scoring 6-9-1. As expected, he had a tetrad of offensive rebounds as well. Unfortunately, Kawhi was noticeably absent as he adjusts back to being in game shape. Alongside him on the bench were Jamison Battle and rookie Allen Graves who are both nursing minor injuries.
For Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo looked phenomenal in his new threads, finishing with a statline of 9-4-7 in only 14 minutes. Andrew Wiggins and Tim Hardaway Jr. feasted from the three point line as they were provided lots of space to shoot and sophomore Pelle Larson chipped in 13-2-2 from the bench.
The flow of the game was almost entirely in Miami’s favour, indicative of the stage we are in at this point in the season. Plenty of mistakes may have plagued Toronto, but there’s a whole season ahead of them to work out the kinks.
Canadian RJ Barrett opened up scoring with a tough take to the rim. He had an excellent first quarter, showing his ability to operate in the paint through contact. Early on, Toronto picked up a couple of offensive fouls. There’s always little adjustments during the offseason, with push-offs seemingly a point of focus for referees. The extra possessions for Miami allowed them to build a lead. Toronto struggled a bit on the offensive end of the floor as well, watching shots rim out and despite second opportunities by Collin Murray-Boyles on the boards, they weren’t able to capitalize.
It’s early going, but 0/8 from long range to start,missing open shots and putbacks on the offensive end, and reckless defensive closeouts seem to be the trademark of preseason basketball that plagued the Raptors early on.
After scoring 41 points in the opening frame, Miami continued with the gritty defence and drive-and-kick offense that will likely be their bread and butter this season. Toronto looked a little off-kilter still, turning the ball over, and struggling to find their shot. By comparison, the Raptors were far less polished, and as a result, held a 21-point advantage heading into the locker room.
In the third quarter Toronto made a few efforts to recover the deficit, but still trailed by double digits. Some of the decision making offensively left a bit to be desired, having them come up empty on many occasions. As the frame progressed, the benches emptied, each team trying to get a look at who will see significant minutes and roster spots this year.
Tyreke Key looked solid with 15 points and fairly efficient defence in the final quarter of the game. His decision making stood out in comparison to the other bench players he shared the floor with, especially in terms of making the right call. Chucky Hepburn also looked good, with his excellent defensive motor always on display and contributing 11 points.
Maybe not the way Toronto would have wanted to start the preseason, but with plenty of time to figure things out and not even at full strength yet, we can just take a breath and celebrate that the Raptors are finally back.
