Toronto Raptors (44-35) beat Miami Heat (41-38) 121-95 at home on Tuesday, April 7. The final margin was 26 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors had the better start, winning the first 32-27 to lead by 5 after one. The Raptors kept the pressure on with a 32-24 second quarter, carrying a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Raptors won the third 30-25 to create some separation, taking a 18-point lead into the fourth. The Raptors took the fourth 27-19; the Raptors finished the job for a 121-95 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Raptors got more from their shots, finishing at 55.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 42.9% for the Heat. The Raptors grabbed 30.6% of their own misses, while the Heat recovered 19.6%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Heat did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 18.7 against 11.1. The Raptors made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Raptors produced 116.7 points per 100 possessions to 91.6 for the Heat.
Who stood out
Scottie Barnes was the game's biggest individual force for TOR: 25 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast on 10-16 shooting. His Game Score of 24.4 led everyone. His team was +7 with him on the floor.
Andrew Wiggins led the Heat with 24 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast on 8-13 shooting, good for a 16.5 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Raptors about a 66% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Raptors are now 44-35, and the Heat are 41-38. The Raptors last five before this game: W-L-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.