Raptors Post Game Report Card: Late Push not Enough to Beat the Heat

Well, you can’t complain about the effort in this one. The Toronto Raptors gave the Miami Heat all they could handle, ultimately dropping the game 95-89. The Raps were down by as much as 18 in the 3rd quarter. However, a late surge in the fourth pulled the Raps within 3 points before LeBron James and Dwyane Wade closed it out. Let’s get to the report card: Offence- B+  Positives DeMar DeRozan exploded with 25 points, and exploited the Heat’s defence by constantly attacking. He went to the line 11 times. Jerryd Bayless was fantastic in the fourth quarter, propelling him to 17 total points. Linas Kleiza also added 17. Negatives In the third quarter, the offence went through a huge drought that allowed the Heat to pull away in this one. Defence- B Positives Overall, the Raps did a solid job of guarding the explosive Heat offence. They limited former Raptor Chris Bosh to a mere 12. Negatives When it mattered the most, the Raps couldn’t stop the Heat’s poten...