The Toronto Raptors dropped their 4th game in a row with a 114-104 loss to the Miami Heat.
Life without Scottie Barnes
The Raptors will be without Barnes for the next little while as the 23-year-old is expected to miss several weeks with a sprained right ankle. Even with Barnes out, the Raptors did not start a traditional point guard. Jonathan Mogbo took Barnes’ spot in the staring lineup. The offense without Barnes wasn’t an issue early on. The Raptors had 16 assists on 21 first half field goals and only had 7 turnovers. The Raptors built a 12-point lead, however, their defense fell apart to close out the second quarter, allowing Miami to shoot 12-for-18 from the field. The Heat ended the first half on a 33-10 run and didn’t look back. Barnes impacts the game so much on both ends of the floor and without him the Raptors didn’t have an answer for Miami.
Gradey Dick stepping up
Dick stepped up and took his game to another level the last time Barnes was injured. In Miami, he was doing it again. Dick was in the zone in the first quarter. He attacked Bam Adebayo off the dribble, showed off his mid-range game and cashed in a three-ball. Dick scored 12 points in his first 9 minutes of action. Dick didn’t shoot the ball well from deep going 3-for-11. He has struggled in that department in the last three games. However, he did shoot 8-for-19 overall to finish the game with 22 points. With Barnes out, Dick will need to continue to deliver offensively and will need to find his three-point stroke.
Rough night for RJ Barrett
By looking at Barrett’s stat line, you would think he had a solid game. The Canadian posted his second career triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. However, he shot 5-for-18 from the the field and had 6 turnovers. He also received a technical foul. With Barnes and Immanuel Quickley out, Barrett will be asked to be the primary playmaker and also shoulder the load offensively. It seemed to be too much for him to handle against the Heat.
Next on tap
The Raptors will have 3 days off before returning home to host the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 16.
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