Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More
The Miami Heat host the Toronto Raptors in what would be a tough matchup any night, but will be even tougher without Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani is still out with a leg injury and the Raptors will have their hands full in South Beach.
Both teams are coming off wins Friday night, but even the competition was drastically different for the two teams. Miami blew out a quality Philadelphia 76ers team, while the Raptors handled one of the NBA's worst in the Washington Wizards.
The Raptors are 5-10 on the road this season, and the Heat are 10-2 at home. This is the first meeting between these two teams this year, and the numbers point to a Miami beatdown, but let's take a look at the particulars all the same.
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL
When: Sunday, February 5 at 1 p.m. EDT
Watch: TSN, Sun Sports, NBA League Pass
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Listen: FAN590 in Toronto, 790-AM, 760-AM in Miami
Betting Line: Miami -16
Key Injuries
Miami: No Injuries to Report
Toronto: Andrea Bargnani (Calf)
What's At Stake?
Miami can't afford a home loss, especially to a team like Toronto. This is clearly a game they should win, and it could present an opportunity to rest their Big Three, if they can grab a big lead.
Miami had just suffered a troubling second defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks, and they responded well in Philly. Now they would love to keep the momentum going.
The Raptors would love to grab this win. If they pull the upset, it'll be the biggest win they score all year long, and it will create a modest two-game win streak.
It will also help this team's confidence in performing at a high level without arguably their best player in Bargnani.
What They're Saying
The Heat held an intense meeting after blowing an 18-point lead to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night and they came out ready to play in Philly. Here is what LeBron James had to say about the nature of the meeting:
"It was no-holds barred, no tongues being held. If we're going to be held to a championship standard, we need to go out and play like it. No one can take things personal if someone says something to him. We've got to take constructive criticism.
"
LeBron knows more about being criticized than any other player on the planet, and all of it isn't always constructive. This team is so talented, the only team that can defeat them is themselves. You've heard that cliche used so often, but with the Heat, it's true.
On the Toronto side, the Raptors are already missing Bargnani, but Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star and others are already wondering about the end of the star's contract.
Will he be the next Canadian star to leave for a team in the states when he's a free agent?
To that, Bargnani responds: "I don't think it's fair to ask me if I want to leave one day, because I think I've demonstrated the opposite," he says. "I think it's pretty clear that I'd like to stay in Toronto."
Bargnani is certainly a prime-time scorer, and the Raptors are building a nice nucleus of players in Toronto. Yet, even with a healthy Bargnani, the Raptors still need a point guard and a center. Jonas Valanciunas, this year's lottery selection, may fit the bill as center when he can join the team next season. The point guard could be had in this year's deep draft.
Keeping Bargnani starts with building a winner, and the pieces are being put in place to do that.
Heat Player To Watch: LeBron James
You could say this every night for the Heat, but especially against the Raptors. LeBron is averaging a sick 28 points per game in his career against Toronto, including a 56-point explosion in 2005. The King also has three triple doubles against the Raptors in his career.
It just might be a DVR-type of night in South Beach.
Toronto Player To Watch: DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan has to step up in Bargnani's absence, but his offense has regressed from last year. In the 2010-2011 season, DeRozan scored 17 per game—but now, in a situation where the team needs him, he has slipped to 14 points per game.
He has improved his three-point shooting from the dismal nine percent it was last season, to a still unimpressive 29 percent. He has already taken almost as many threes (45) as he took all last year (52), and the increase in long-distance attempts has submarined his overall field-goal percentage.
He is down from 47 percent last year to 38 percent this season.
The Raptors need a big game from him to have a shot, as he is one of the few players who can run the floor with the Heat.
Key Matchup: James Johnson vs. LeBron James
Now before you laugh, Johnson has been playing the most minutes at SF of any Raptor. He currently leads the team in blocks and steals, and is establishing himself as a solid defender.
That said, we all remember the extreme posterization of Johnson at the hands of James, while Johnson was a Bull and James was a Cav. If you don't, here it is:
What are the odds we see something like that again? I don't know, but if Johnson can play solid defense and make LeBron pay attention to him on the other end, he'll have done his part to pull the upset.
Prediction
Heat 104, Raptors 90
Toronto will always play hard under Dwayne Casey, but defeating the Heat on the road will be too tall a task for the shorthanded Raptors.
The Heat are ready to go on one of those long win streaks, and this will make two in a row.
