Quick Reaction: Heat 116, Raptors 119

THE MAPLE MAMBA STRIKES AGAIN! RJ has been fantastic this season, I said it before on Run It Back and I’ll say it again, It’s time for some all-star nods. He was all over the floor tonight, asserting himself on the offensive end and helping the team defensively, with continuous high energy. When it came time to close out the game in the clutch, he was not afraid of the moment and continued to play his game.

Ochai had a bit of a struggle offensively today but still managed to contribute in other ways. Either with second-chance put-backs, getting himself open off-ball, or just making sure to be in the right spots on defence. It’s important when he realizes his shot might not be falling, to impact the games in other ways and he did just that.

JAKOB THE BEAST! Jakob has been nothing short of amazing this season and continued that high level of play tonight. His offensive rebounding makes a world of difference. When matched up against a center like Bam, it’s usually difficult for other centers to get their game flowing, but it looks like Jakob didn’t have that problem. He was constantly moving and putting himself in the position not only to score but also to grab any potential misses, putting them back up for an easy score.

The rookie did us proud tonight. I usually don’t like nitpicking the rookies, but he gave me nothing to nitpick. Walter was constantly moving on both offence and defence, setting himself up for easy looks or making it hard for Miami to get their offence flowing. He showed us tonight that he can splash from beyond the arc, and it’s only looking up from here. As he develops he might be able to turn into one of the best 3&D wings in the league. (you heard it here first)

Point Scottie came to play tonight and he looked as impressive as ever. Penetrating the defence and kicking it out, playing great defence and getting to his spots on offence when needed, also hitting a big-time three to help seal the deal for the win. One small nitpick I had this game with Scottie is that I wish he was a little more aggressive in the clutch, with no Herro or Butler on the floor it was his time to extend that lead and it just felt like he was passing it up a little to much. Scottie was also one assist away from becoming the first-ever Raptor with back-to-back triple-doubles, so close.

Mitchell also had a rough offensive night, but that did not stop him from dishing out the ball, finding the open shooters and playing some intense defence when needed. He hounded the ball handlers, forced turnovers and overall helped the offence flow better when he was on the floor.

Boucher came in and did work with the minutes he had, constantly cutting and moving on offence leading to some easy layups, while keeping his energy up on defence and putting himself in the right spots for the block or the rebound.

MOGBO IS HIM! While his stat line might not look like much to those who weren’t watching, he was all over the place. Mogbo made sure he was in the right spot for some huge offensive rebounds and constantly fighting on defence to make their life that much more difficult. He also threw out a career-high six assists tonight, letting the game come to him.

Battle just couldn’t get it going from three tonight, he was working hard off the ball to get open and take those shots, but they just weren’t falling tonight.

Shead made the most out of the limited minutes he had, but I would like to see him more in the upcoming games. Can’t judge him on four minutes. However, he has incredible defence and with some of the more talented guards coming up on this road trip, I definitely think he can help out.

Darko was great tonight, finding ways to slice through Miami’s zone defence and playing the players with the hot hand at the right times. He’s been doing a great job considering all of the injuries this season and tonight was no different!