Running Diary of Caribbean Night

The Toronto Raptors kick off the post-All-Star schedule with an overtime loss to the visiting Miami Heat, 120-111.

On a cold February evening when the temperature -20, the vibes inside Scotiabank Arena were significantly warmer.

No, not because the Miami Heat were in town. It was Caribbean Heritage Night! Between the soca music, live performances, and Caribbean-themed games/giveaways, it felt as warm as being on a beach in Saint Lucia inside SBA.

The Raptors have done an excellent job in this 30th season with various themed nights. From Vince Carter’s jersey retirement to celebrating the 90s to showcasing various Raptors alumni, there have been plenty of events to distract entertain Raptors fans.

Caribbean Heritage Night has been my personal favourite! The in-game entertainment and upbeat music had me moving in my seat all night long.

Oh right, there was also a basketball game! The Toronto Raptors kicked off the post-All-Star portion of the schedule with a 120-111 overtime loss to the Miami Heat. Newly minted All-Star, Tyler Herro, led Miami with 28 points and 7 assists. Bam Adebayo produced his 30th double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Toronto was led by all members of BBQ as Scottie Barnes (13 points), Immanuel Quickley (23 points), and RJ Barrett (29 points) combined for almost half of the Raptors’ total points.

1st Quarter

12:00 – The Heat wearing their Miami Vice jerseys is very appropriate for tonight’s theme

11:42 – Barrett guards Andrew Wiggins on the opening possession and forces a bad pass

11:19 – On the ensuing possession, a Barrett contest leads to a badly missed Wiggins three-point attempt

10:55 – Barrett then steals the ball on a Wiggins drive. Three consecutive stops on Miami’s first three offensive possessions. Outstanding work by Barrett.

8:54 – Davion does that thing where he gets dropped on a screen. Offensive foul. O Robinson already has two fouls and is the only

6:29 – For the second time in the first quarter, Orlando Robinson breaks up a lob attempt for Kel’el Ware.

2:30 – Before the game, Will Lou asked Darko Rajakovic about the possibility of playing all his rookies at the same time. Darko almost obliged before the end of the first quarter when Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and Ja’Kobe Walter checked in at the same time.

1:16 – And there goes the rest of the season! Scottie Barnes rolls his ankle and collapses to the ground. He stays on the ground for a while before being helped up and to the bench. Barnes puts very little weight on his right ankle as Garrett Temple and Jamison Battle act as human crutches.

0.0 – The Raptors have 7 turnovers in the first 12 minutes and, unsurprisingly, trail 30-19.

2nd Quarter

10:35 – Okay, the season isn’t over yet. According to Raps PR, Barnes is available to return.

9:44 – The players must have heard the positive news because consecutive triples from Quickley cut into Miami’s lead. Heat up 35-28.

6:22 – For the third time tonight, the Heat attempt — and fail — an alley-oop attempt for Ware.

4:20 – Barrett banks a three-pointer to finally get on the board. Getting your first points via a banked three-pointer is as unethical a first basket as there can be.

3:30 – Dick snakes his way in transition to an open three, only to get bumped from behind…..by a trailing Orlando Robinson. That would have made the highlight reel for Toronto’s tank if he continued with the shot attempt.

2:37 – Barrett quickly atones and hits an ethical three

1:50 – An excellent defensive sequence from Barnes: A lob to Bam forces him under the basket. Barnes prevents an easy attempt. Bam tries posting up Barnes, but Scottie pokes the ball away. Bam recovers the loose ball and attempts a hook shot which is blocked by Barnes. Bam recovers the ball again but misses another hook as Barnes has another solid contest.

0.0 – The Raptors played much better in the second quarter and had chances to cut further into the lead, but ultimately trailed 57-48 at the half.

3rd Quarter

10:23 – Alley-oop attempt #4 fails as well as Ware was pushed so far away from the basket that he could only bring the ball down then try a fadeaway. The ball slips out of his hand.

8:31 – Similar to the first half, Davion draws an offensive foul on Orlando Robinson within the first four minutes of the half.

8:23 – Out of a timeout, Raps force a 5-second inbounding turnover. Spoelstra looks like he’s going to throw a slipper at someone. (That’s for the 2-3 Filipinos reading this.)

6:58 – Quickley drains a 3 and the Raps are only down 3. Are the Miami Heat bad? How are they not blowing out this undermanned Raptors team?

5:06 – Kyle Anderson checks into the game for the first time. The last game I worked a Raptors game was before the trade deadline when Anderson was Raptor for approximately 8 minutes. During those 8 minutes, I imagined seeing Anderson on the court …..just not with the opponent.

3:39 – GRADEY ALMOST ENDED DUNCAN ROBINSON

3:11 – GRADEY THREE GIVES TORONTO THE LEAD 77-76

3:03 – Miami quickly regains the lead as I relocate my Caps Lock button

4th Quarter

As we enter the 4th quarter, the Raptors are only down 84-80. With the easy March schedule fast approaching, we’re entering must-lose territory for Toronto. Let’s see if they understand the assignment.

11:10 – Walter is essentially a pylon in a Raptors uniform as Jovic drives by the rookie for a layup.

10:22 – Mogbo and Boucher miss easy buckets under the rim. Early indications are YES, the Raptors understand the assignment.

6:29 – Orlando Robinson follows up a Walter triple with a three of his own. Miami’s heat is down to 94-90. I know it’s the Heat, but why are we playing with fire? (See what I did there?)

3:45 – Darko inexplicably calls a good ATO play as Barrett hits a three and ties the game at 98. Insert eyes emoji

3:13 – After Davion splits a pair of free throws, Barrett hits a turnaround hook shot in the lane to…gulp….give Toronto a 100-99 lead. What. Is. Happening.

1:43 – Herro answers a stepback three by Quickley with one of his own. Miami back up 104-103.

45.4 – After hitting a tough bucket in traffic to give Toronto a 3-point lead, Barrett fouls Wiggins on a game-tying three-point attempt. Wiggins obliges by hitting all three freebies. Tie game. Whoa boy.

0.0 – After Barnes misses a driving floater with 20 seconds remaining, Adebayo misses a baseline jumper and Wiggins misses a potential game-winning tip-in at the buzzer. Free basketball!!

Overtime

4:15 – Barrett banks in a mid-range jumper then jaws at Davion on the way back. It’s fun when the pressure to win is non-existent.

2:45 – Herro hits a tough mid-range jumper while being fouled. I would typically roll my eyes in disgust, but for the sake of the tank, I’m fine with this scenario. (That felt disgusting to admit/type).

1:10 – Raptors come out of the timeout and run 3 consecutive isolation plays. None of those plays leads to points as Miami grows the lead to double-digits. All the fans of the tank can now exhale.

Toronto outplays Miami for three quarters after starting slow. In the end, the Heat executed better down the stretch and finally took advantage of Jakob Poeltl’s absence.

Also of note, it took 11 seasons and 3 teams, but Andrew Wiggins finally got a win in Toronto!

Toronto next plays on Sunday when the Phoenix Suns come to town. I don’t know what the Raptors have planned for entertainment, but nothing is topping tonight! The Raptors played competitively, got great contributions from BBQ, and managed to keep their position in the reverse standings. It was a good night all around!