LeBron James & Co. came into the Air Canada Centre and carried the Miami Heat to a 104-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors this evening. James was on his A-Game against the Raptors gliding to a cool 35 point, 8 rebound, 8 assist night. The Raptors were in the game for the first three quarters, sticking close to the returning champions by hounding the offensive glass; despite allowing the Heat to shoot 49% from the field. Miami, traveling without Chris Bosh due to the birth of a child, started Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier in the paint tonight; which Toronto took advantage of early in the game.
RAPTOR NOTES:
- Jonas Valanciunas was the best Raptor on the floor tonight. With no real interior presence for Miami; Toronto took advantage of the glass early by grabbing 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. Valanciunas continued to impress and gave the Raptors some momentum in the second half when he dunked on LeBron James.
- DJ Augustin continues to unimpress; he was on the floor to start the 4th quarter when the Miami Heat started to pull away. Augustin had 0 points, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, and a -9 rating in 13 minutes tonight.
- The shooting slump continues with Rudy Gay as he tries to shake off some cobwebs this season. Gay went 3-10 from the field tonight for 13 points although he did have 10 rebounds. His shot selection tonight was questionable once again and when Miami sent double-teams at him, more often than not, it resulted in a poor mid-range attempt.
HEAT NOTES:
- Dwyane Wade may have lost a step over his career; but his basketball IQ and superb footwork continue to carry him. He posted a 20-6-5 line tonight; two of which came at the buzzer at the end of the 3rd quarter with a nice fadeaway on Terrence Ross.
- Ray Allen continues to bomb away from deep as he has his whole career. He scored 14 points tonight, 9 of which came from behind the arc, due to defensive lapses on the Raptors part. He hit a late bomb in the 4th on a LeBron James drive-and-kick that pulled the rookie Terrence Ross off him for an open 3. How long do you think Ray Allen can continue to play at such a high level? It certainly seems as if he can shoot forever.
- There was a Michael Beasley sighting today in the first half. SuperCoolBeas made his first appearance of the season and quickly impressed his coaches by hitting back-to-back 3s immediately after stepping on the floor. It's exciting to see what he can bring to the Heat bench if he gets consistent playing time.
This is the first appearance the Miami Heat make to the ACC this season, they return to Toronto on November 29th. Toronto heads off to Charlotte immediately for a match on Wednesday night against Kemba Walker and the Bobcats.