Quick Reaction: Heat 120, Raptors 111

An all-around awesome effort for the “Maple Mamba.” My favourite moment was when he banked in a three in the first half and looked justifiably wide-eyed after the make, while Mitchell, who the shot was made on, couldn’t help but laugh. Barrett played within the flow of the game and converted effectively when he did look to score. He was certifiably clutch as well, nailing a triple in the fourth and then a turnaround tear-drop floater over Wiggins to give the Raptors their first lead since it was 2-0 in the first minute of the game. His engagement on defence was noticed as well. As Samson Folk noted on X, it’s Barrett’s third consecutive multi-steal game, as he’s been far more active with his hands (and feet) as of late.

At practice on Thursday, Scottie Barnes said “I’m trying to go out there and win games … to make something happen,” when asked about some fans being focused on lottery balls down the stretch. The mindset you want from a franchise star, which made it even more of a shame when he tweaked his ankle on an awkward landing in the first and it looked like his night might’ve been over. Barnes returned, thankfully, and boy did he “make something happen.” He first hit a trademark middle-of-the-paint turnaround jumper in the second, then played some pristine defence against Bam Adebayo in the paint — poking the ball loose before blocking one shot attempt and contesting another — and followed all that up by getting downhill and converting at the rim to cut the Raps deficit down to six. He was largely muted on offence after that, but I’m willing to chalk some of that up to the ankle.

A pretty cool opportunity for Robinson. It was just his ninth career start and first with the Raptors, getting the opportunity against the team he spent his first two years in the NBA with. Robinson worked all the way up from an exhibit 10, to a two-way and eventually a standard deal with the Heat, playing 67 games with the club. He set solid screens, rolled with intent and tried admirably against Bam Adebayo. Nailing a triple midway through the fourth quarter — despite shooting 17 per cent from deep this year — was a nice bonus too.

I was really hoping to see if he could carry that positive momentum from All-Star weekend into this one, but that same pop wasn’t quite there. Call it poor execution or just sour luck. Dick traveled in the first when attacking a closeout, he goaltended on a block attempt in the third, he even missed a free throw (despite shooting 88 per cent at the line). When the sophomore nailed his first three (and field goal) of the game in the third, the ball bounced on the rim so many times before finally going in that I was convinced Professor Quirrell was in the stands up to no good. I don’t know if Dick believes in magic but he clearly has faith in the basketball gods as he looked up to the heavens after that three, letting out an exacerbated “finally.” I’d say his prayers were answered but in actuality, it was his effort that yielded results. Dick was relentless in the fourth despite his struggles. Most evident when he nearly baptized Duncan Robinson, had he not been fouled.

Aggressive, quick-decision maker Immanuel Quickley was present in this one and it was a nice boost, especially after Barnes’ injury. He was looking to score right away, splitting a pair of left-elbow pull-ups in the first on back-to-back possessions. Quickley then really got hot in the second, nailing back-to-back triples to force a quick (pardon the pun) Heat timeout — the first of which bailed out a nothing possession as the shot clock expired, the second of which was a nice dribble pull-up from deep (an area the Raptors have particularly struggled this season). He took a season-high 11 triples on the night, a trend I hope to continue seeing.

A bit of an odd one, his fewest minutes in a game in nearly a month — he left against New Orleans on Jan. 27 after 11 minutes due to injury. Agbaji didn’t see any time in the fourth or OT. Maybe it was just in an effort to get Mogbo more run but something to keep an eye on I guess.

With Quickley healthy, and the need for Shead as a backup PG, the guard rotation doesn’t have a ton of room for Walter. While his minutes are scarce it’s good to see he’s willing to let shots fly when he’s out there and zip around defensively. The jumper is smooth and he’s never afraid to shoot it. His triple in the fourth was especially clutch as it brought the Raps within four points.

He struggled when tasked with keeping Herro in check but was steady as a backup floor general, otherwise. Not many miscues but the lack of offensive production was, of course, less than ideal.

A “step in the right direction” game for Mogbo. His steadily improving ability to read how the defence was guarding against him and making them pay for it, is what stood out in this one. In the first, Nikola Jovic was helping off Mogbo, so the rookie went into motion before he received a pass at the right-side 45, got downhill momentum and drew a foul at the basket. In the second, Mogbo drifted to the left corner as the defence ignored him yet again, spotted up, caught a kick-out pass and drilled a triple. A lot of his progression on offence is a direct dividend of his time with the 905. I’ve watched every single one of his G League games this season and will be coming out with a piece in the coming days on what he learned and how it’s already translating to the NBA. If you’re confused why Mogbo was out there in OT and why he was on Herro, I’ll touch on that too.

The first game back from the All-Star game is typically ugly for most teams. Players are rusty after time off and it takes a bit to get into full swing. Which is why energy plays and momentum-swinging efforts are even more important than usual. Boucher, the stout vet that he is, recognized that and acted accordingly. While he had a tough shooting night, the Montreal native chased just about every loose ball his 7-foot-4 wingspan could reach, and he even stepped up and took a charge from rim-running rookie Kel’el Ware in the first half. Admirably taking a knee to the chest from the Heat 7-footer, making yet another winning play.

First off, he won a challenge and given the Raptors track record, it’s worth shouting out. He had his team ready to play in their first game back post-All-Star break and was trying things out there. We saw lots of Barnes and Quickley minutes coincide, Robinson got a start and real minutes and hey, Mogbo got some burn in OT. Was all of it effective? No. But he’s trying things.