The Toronto Raptors began their era without Pascal Siakam on Wednesday with a surprising 121-97 win over the Miami Heat at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. The 24-point win was their second most dominant win of the season. The Raptors defeated the Detroit Pistons by 29 points, 142-113 on November 19.
In the Raptors win over the Heat, four Raptors reached double digits in points. Gary Trent Jr. led the way with 28 points. RJ Barrett of Toronto, Ontario had 26 points, Scottie Barnes had 20 points, and Immanuel Quickley had 17 points. Barrett, Quickley, and Thaddeus Young led the Raptors with eight rebounds each. Quickley led the Raptors with nine assists. Barnes and Gradey Dick led the Raptors with two steals each, and Jontay Porter led the Raptors with two blocked shots.
It was simply a marvelous first half for the Raptors, as they outscored Miami 78-43. When you consider the fact the Raptors were 10 games below the .500 mark, and the Heat were eight games above the .500 mark before the game started, it was very surprising that the Raptors had a 35-point lead. Toronto actually had a 37-point lead 20 seconds into the second half when Quickley made a jump shot from five feet.
With the win, the Raptors improved to a record of 16 wins and 25 losses. They are a game and a half back of the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
