In another timeline, the Toronto Raptors dropped their final game before the holiday break. That group opts to delay improvement in the hope that time with family and an overall reset will drive the team forward.
But this version of the Raptors didn’t have plans to wait for anyone to save them from a three-game losing streak. They treated their trip to Miami as a “get-right” type of game and were rewarded for their efforts with a 112-91 victory over the Heat on Tuesday.
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Holding Miami to a season-low 91 points and finally surpassing the 100-point mark after two clunkers against the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets should momentarily quiet the doubters.
Here are four more takeaways from the surprising but refreshing road win.
The Poeltl prescription
With Jakob Poeltl missing another game due to a lingering back ailment, the Raptors turned to two secondary options to cure their woes at the five spot – Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles.
On a night against one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA, the Raptors leaned on the duo to negate as much of the assumed disadvantage on the glass as possible. Not only did Mamukelashvili and Murray-Boyles do an admirable job of that, with the Toronto out-rebounding Miami 53-46, but the pair also applied relentless offensive pressure on opposing bigs.
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During the opening possessions of the first and second halves, the Raptors made a concentrated effort to attack Kel’el Ware. Even when he wasn’t the on-ball defender, Ware was forced into various actions, which subsequently took the centre out of ideal positioning for rebounds.
Mamukelashvili was an offensive generator who shifted coverages and displayed how valuable it is to have a stretch big next to Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. He finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and a career-high 7 assists. Mamukelashvili also shot 4-for-6 from three.
Murray-Boyles’ performance was a battle cry for those yearning for the rookie to play a larger role in games. In Poeltl’s absence, Murray-Boyles recorded his first double-double and finished with a career-high in both total (12) and offensive rebounds (9). His 9 offensive rebounds are the most by any rookie this year. It’s also the most by a Raptor rookie since Scottie Barnes (9) in 2022.
False starts in disguise
A holiday miracle transformed into a mirage when the Raptors began the night playing their most inspired stretch of basketball this season, only to let the Heat back into the contest without much resistance.
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The Raptors surprisingly knocked down their first three attempts from beyond the arc and weaponized that momentum to build a 16-3 lead. But after the ensuing timeout, the Heat responded with a 10-2 run. Miami’s momentum carried into the second quarter. And after a Bam Adebayo slam in transition, the Heat capped off a 22-7 run to claim their first lead of the game.
But unlike in their previous two games against the Nets and Celtics, the Raptors’ search for a second gear yielded positive results. Toronto ultimately overcame the sluggish start against Miami, but with the health of key rotation players in doubt and the bench grappling with inconsistency, it’s important for the team to win opening frames.
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Murray-Boyles hasn’t had a chance to properly play meaningful minutes as the small-ball five that many envisioned he would eventually become. After the Heat claimed their first lead of the evening in the second quarter, the Raptors deployed Murray-Boyles as the lone big on the floor. It was a limited sample size, but the Raptors finished on a 5-3 run while shooting 50 per cent from the field. They also limited the Heat to 0-for-2 on the other end.
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In the fourth quarter, while sharing the floor with Barnes, the Raptors asked Murray-Boyles to defend the pick-and-roll, which freed up the former to do what he does best as a free safety. This combination helped push Toronto to a 23-point lead, its largest of the night up to that point.
On the offence, Murray-Boyles slotted into the dunker’s spot normally reserved for Poeltl. While his location regulates the rookie’s offensive ceiling, the strategic decision maintains scheme continuity that the Raptors desperately need.
The carousel spins, with no end in sight
The trio of Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter have received their share of criticism this season from fans and critics. It’s becoming increasingly clear that each of them is struggling to perform under limited minutes and heightened expectations. They’re very much rhythm players on a team lacking the runway needed for this kind of archetype to succeed.
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And because of this, head coach Darko Rajakovic has no choice but to continue rolling the dice in hopes of hitting the number needed on any given night. But because Rajakovic views this part of his rotation more as a calculated gambit rather than a locked rotation, it means the Raptors must deal with the bad luck that come with dice rolls.
The group finished the first half with a combined eight points on 27.2 per cent shooting. There are flashes of intrigue, like Agbaji’s early offensive burst or his block on Norman Powell, but these fleeting moments are drowned out by a corner three air-ball or getting denied by the rim on a dunk attempt.