-If you are a basketball purist, this probably wasn't the game for you. The Toronto Raptors got down big, fought back, but eventually succumed to the Miami Heat 120 to 103.
-The Heat weren't led by Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade...because neither played. Instead, "Stub of the Night" Mike Miller had 32 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists, proving nearly unstoppable in the first half, and helping the Heat to a 28 point lead. LeBron James was no slouch though with 38, 11 and 6 of his own.
-That proved to be more than enough on a night when the Raps got 58 points from DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani...but it took them basically 50 shots to get those totals, and they did little in any other category. As a result, the Raps managed to get back in this one after being down by nearly 30 points early, but it wasn't nearly enough as Miami shot 53 per cent from the field, including over 60 per cent from long range.
-On top of that, the Dinos' kryptonite reared its ugly face again as Miami outrebounded Toronto 42 to 33, and simply imposed their will on this match. 16 of 26 long-range shooting from Miami further did Toronto in and while it was good to see the team fight this one out to the finish, it's still a tough loss to swallow considering the Heat were missing their second and third best players.
-Anything else to add? Not exactly. Ed Davis had a near double-double again in about 30 minutes of action and Jose Calderon did have a double-double with 14 points and 13 assists but again, the numbers seem a bit hollow considering the end result.
-The good news? The Raptors finally get off this road trip, an 0 and 5 one, and now get to finally get back to the friendly confines of the ACC. The schedule does improve but there's no doubt that the rest of the month will be a challenge regardless, especially considering Toronto's injury situation, and the team's recent defensive and rebounding malaise.