Toronto Raptors (45-35) beat Miami Heat (41-39) 128-114 at home on Thursday, April 9, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors had the better start, winning the first 32-26 to lead by 6 after one. The Raptors kept the pressure on with a 37-24 second quarter, carrying a 19-point lead into halftime.
The Heat won the third 40-33 to stay in front, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Raptors took the fourth 26-24; the Raptors finished the job for a 128-114 regulation win.
What decided it
The Raptors made 31.4 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 9.8 for the Heat. The Raptors took better care of the ball, turning it over on 4.2% of possessions compared with 13.7% for the Heat. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Heat did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 64.6% against 58.7%. The Raptors made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 95 possessions per team, the Raptors produced 134.7 points per 100 possessions to 119.9 for the Heat.
Who made the difference
Brandon Ingram was the game's biggest individual force for TOR: 38 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast on 13-23 shooting. His Game Score of 34.5 led everyone. His team was +13 with him on the floor.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast on 9-14 shooting, good for a 27 Game Score.
Bam Adebayo (24 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) and Davion Mitchell (15 pts, 3 reb, 11 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Raptors about a 69% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Toronto Raptors lead 4-3.
The Raptors are now 45-35, and the Heat are 41-39. The Raptors last five before this game: L-L-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.