Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat Final Score 103 – 118: Raptors fall in game 82

And with that, one of the toughest recent seasons is over

With so much on the line for so many NBA teams today, this has probably been one of the most high-energy, playoff-like environments for a final game day of the season in recent memory. The seeding is usually straightforward, and a few games matter, but it’s usually a good opportunity for rest, or trying a couple of things to prepare for the playoffs. Not the case this year, with only 5 teams having their seeding set in the playoffs before tipoff today.

Miami was one of the teams still looking to determine their spot, but for Toronto, this was the closest to a playoff game that they were going to get, having been eliminated from contention for a while now. Despite having a lengthy injury report, the guys that took the floor looked to end the season on a high note. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something that they were able to do, and now, they head into the offseason with time to get healthy and get better.

Miami looked great, in the final stretch of their preparation for the playoffs. Tyler Herro contributed 17-6-8. Jimmy Butler had 15-5-4, seeing only 24 minutes of action. Adebayo had 17-6 in only 19 minutes. Miami’s bench also showed up big, with three guys in double figures.

For Toronto, Kelly Olynyk showed his veteran abilities with 11-8-2. Gary chipped in with 18-4 and Gradey had 14 points of his own. Ochai also got into double figures with 10-6-2.

The Raptors looked engaged early, passing the ball and moving without it effectively. They were able to build a fairly significant 7-point lead early, largely due to their effort and shotmaking. Miami called for a timeout that helped them find another gear, and their intensity afterwards was significant, managing to bring the score within one possession. For the remainder of the quarter, the game was fairly back and forth, with both teams looking engaged on defence and purposeful on offence.

The Raptors’ biggest struggle during the first frame was long-distance shooting. Despite getting good looks, they weren’t able to buy a basket from that distance, shooting 0-8. They managed to find better opportunities within the paint, ending the quarter tied up with Miami 24-24.

Ochai was one of the highlights in the first quarter, with his athleticism allowing him to play bigger than he is. He was active on the boards and defensively, matching up with Herro and Butler able to shut down several possessions. He led the team in scoring in the first, with 5 points, a board, an assist, and a steal.

To start the second, Brown started to build some momentum with a couple of fancy one-handed popups. Gradey also came alive, hitting shots from midrange and the corner and continuing to show his growth this season as he tried a variety of different looks.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, with substitutions they started to lose momentum, especially as they continued to struggle from long range. The inside shots weren’t available as much with Miami shoring up their defence, allowing for them to start to run away with the game.

About halfway through the quarter Miami started to click on all cylinders, going on a 33-11 run. Almost every shot was falling for them, regardless of where it was coming from. To make matters worse, the Raptors started to make more mistakes, turning the ball over 8 times in the quarter, leading to 14 Miami points.

The Heat entered the locker room with a 21-point advantage, managing a scorching 43 points in the quarter. Luckily it stopped there, being only the third-highest scoring quarter against the Raptors this season.

Coming out of the locker room, the starters showed some improved effort for the Raptors. A number of turnovers for the Heat created an advantage for the Raps. Trent Jr.’s return was obvious, as he started to take and make 3-pointers in the third quarter. Within the first 5 minutes of the frame he’d already managed to convert 3 of them.

Agbaji also continued to be an energy guy, generating extra opportunities for the Raps. He had boards, an assist, and a block that all helped the Raps work to slowly erase the deficit, at one point, diminishing it to 13. Miami never gave in though, always finding ways to score. The lead ballooned again, and by the end of the quarter they were up by 23.

The fourth quarter was much of the same, giving Miami the opportunity to have some of their bench unit see the court for extended minutes. Miami came away with a 15 point victory.

Now, all of the energy will be focused on the draft and the offseason, as the Raptors figure out what the next season will look like.