The Toronto Raptors are not heading to Las Vegas after losing 117-101 to the New York Knicks in their NBA Cup quarterfinal.
With the Raptors being eliminated from the NBA Cup, they will now have a consolation game that counts to their schedule against the Miami Heat, who also lost in the NBA Cup quarterfinals to the Orlando Magic earlier in the evening. When the two teams meet up, the Raptors will be facing a scorned Heat team who really wanted to advance in the tournament.
“Yes, it’s high. It’s high,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said of the team’s disappointment levels.
“We have a very competitive group. There was something to really play for right now, and we’d all wrapped our minds around it. We’re all still kind of shocked about it. It’s two competitive franchises going at it. Both teams really wanted it. It felt like a playoff type feel to it and we just weren’t able to get the job done.”
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley dribbles the ball against Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Raptors face off vs. Heat
The matchup between the two quarterfinalists in the NBA Cup will be the first in the regular season series. In each of the last two seasons, the Heat have won three out of four games against the Raptors, so Toronto will be looking for revenge this time around.
The Raptors definitely need some time off after having lost six of their last seven games. They will get nearly a week to recover from the sting of their NBA Cup elimination, and a game against the Heat coming back is not the easiest way to get back on their feet.
The Raptors should have Immanuel Quickley back on the court when they play the Heat. Quickley missed the team’s game against the Knicks due to an illness that also plagued him against the Boston Celtics.
That being said, the Heat are also dealing with their fair share of issues, and this could be an opportunity for Toronto to get some momentum back while playing on the road.
If the Raptors can find a way to beat the Heat and get back in the win column, Toronto could do some damage in the second half of the month.
Tipoff between the Raptors and Heat is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.