The Miami Heat travel North for a matchup with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday in a battle of two of the hotter teams in the Eastern Conference. Miami has won three in a row to forge a 1½-game lead in the Eastern Conference standings over the second-place Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto is on a five-game winning streak and is in fifth place in the East, two games behind the fourth-place Philadelphia 76ers but only a half-game ahead of the Chicago Bulls. This one should be intense, so check out this in-depth preview before you make any bet online on the game.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and NBA odds for Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors. We have plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Miami Streaking Toward Top Spot in East
The Miami Heat are playing as well as at any time this season, earning their third straight victory with a road win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. This latest run comes after a season-high four straight losses that had Miami teetering on the edge of falling down the Eastern Conference standings, but instead, the Heat are looking like a good bet to win the No. 1 seed in the East.
“I think we just had a little bit of a rut, which most teams go through at some point in the season,” Miami guard Kyle Lowry said after Saturday’s win. “I think it was an opportunity for us to settle things down and communicate a little better.”
Lowry will be a focus, as it is his first trip to Toronto for a game since he left the Raptors in the offseason following nine seasons with the team. Lowry was out for personal reasons when the Heat visited Toronto earlier this season. The veteran has been solid with the Heat, averaging 13.3 points and 7.6 assists, but it should be an emotional contest for the fan favorite in Toronto.
Forward Jimmy Butler will certainly be focused, as he usually is. Butler leads the Heat with 21.3 points per game while also grabbing 5.3 rebounds and dishing out 5.5 assists per contest.
Center Bam Adebayo will be a key for Miami getting the win as well, as he’ll need to control the paint on the defensive end. Adebayo is averaging 19.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season.
Raptors Trying To Gain Home Court for First Round
The Toronto Raptors have quietly been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference despite a multitude of injuries. Now healthy, Toronto is trying to push its way into the top four in the East standings so that it can have home-court advantage for its first-round series.
Leading the charge has been forward Pascal Siakam, who is averaging a team-high 22.3 points and 8.4 rebounds while also dishing out 5.2 assists per game. Siakam had a triple-double in a Wednesday win over the Minnesota Timberwolves before notching a double-double in Friday’s win over the Orlando Magic.
Guard Fred VanVleet is averaging 20.3 points, but he’s failed to score as many as 20 in a game over the last six contests. VanVleet does pace the Raptors with 6.6 assists per game, but he’s also fallen off a bit in that category, averaging just 4.2 over the last four games.
The Raptors would like to see Gary Trent Jr. become a little more consistent with his production. The sharpshooter is averaging 18.1 points per game, but his offense comes in waves. He had 29 points in the Wednesday win over Minnesota but scored a total of 29 points in the two games sandwiching that win.
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors Head-to-Head
The Toronto Raptors have taken two of the first three meetings between these teams, including the last two matchups. All three contests have been close, with the largest winning margin being the Miami Heat’s five-point win in the first meeting in January.
The series between these two teams has been even over the last three seasons, with Miami holding a slight 5-4 advantage since the start of the 2019-20 season. The Raptors have been hot of late and are playing at home, which is likely why the NBA lines favor them to get another win over the Heat in this one.
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors Game Information
- Game: Miami Heat (50-28) at Toronto Raptors (45-32)
- Location: Scotiabank Arena
- Day/Time: Sunday, 7 p.m. ET
- Television: NBA League Pass
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors Betting Lines
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors Prediction
Someone has to lose but we are anticipating a close game throughout. Lowry will be doing his best to lead the Miami Heat, to the victory, but we like the Toronto Raptors to keep their win streak alive as well as cover the spread in this one
When doing your NBA betting, take Toronto to win and cover at home.
