"Toronto opened up the game on a 16-3 run, Miami could not buy a basket and Toronto made sure each shot that went up saw a contest or some resistance. Toronto began 3/6 from three, and just seemed to be outrunning Miami in the opening minutes. These were not beautiful offensive possessions from Toronto, but it was a team taking advantage of the opportunities that the defense was giving them."
"Barnes was not content with just getting up mid-range looks, whenever he had a smaller defender on him such as Jaime Jaquez Jr., he did not let him off the hook with a jumper, he took him to the paint, turned his back, and took his time backing him down to get the shot that he likes and the shot that he knows he can get."
Toronto entered the game missing starters RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl and had struggled offensively for several weeks. The team opened 16-3, shot 3/6 from three early, forced contested shots, and capitalized on defensive opportunities to build momentum. Miami repeatedly closed the gap, but Toronto found ways to keep them at bay and maintained enough composure to finish the game. Scottie Barnes attacked the rim against smaller defenders, backed down bigger opponents, and finished with touch in the paint. Collective effort and improved outside shooting produced a needed victory despite roster absences.
Read at Raptors Republic
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