John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat: Is Miami a real threat?
The Miami Heat are hosting the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya Center on Friday.
The Raptors are in a rebuilding mode
The Toronto Raptors are 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 25-55 record. After losing 15 consecutive games, the Raptors have split the last four and are coming off a 106-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Toronto is 20th in the league, scoring 112.6 points per game, and is ranked fifth with 28.6 assists per game. Scottie Barnes is the best player on the team, averaging 19.9 points per game.
The Heat are in a familiar situation
The Miami Heat are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-36 record. They have lost three of the last five games and are coming off a 111-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat are fourth in the league, allowing 108.5 points per game, and are ranked 10th, allowing 46.8% shooting from the field. Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler both average 21 points per game to lead Miami this season.
Betting Trends
The Raptors have covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 games against the Heat. Toronto is 4-11 ATS in the last 15 games overall and 5-13 ATS in the last 18 road games played on Friday. Miami is 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games overall, 3-8 ATS in the last 11 home games and 2-4 ATS in the laast 6 home games against the Raptors.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Miami Heat will have to go through the play-in tournament in hope of reaching the playoffs, but they have no problem with that since they made it all the way to the NBA Finals last year in a similar situation. They have just theoretical chances to jump two spots higher in the standings, which will not happen, so the Heat are already focused on the play-in challenges. The Raptors are in full rebuilding mode, trading all the star players prior to or during the season. Toronto has nothing to lose in this game, and given the major spread of 15 points in favor of the Heat, Toronto is going to cover that.
