- The Heat are 12-10 and have the second-best record in the Southeast Division.
- Toronto is 7-18 and currently occupies the last spot in the Atlantic Division.
- These teams last played on Dec. 1, with the Raptors claiming a 119-116 victory.
One of the games on Thursday night’s NBA slate features the Miami Heat taking on the Toronto Raptors. The Heat are a top-five squad, while Toronto has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Our Heat vs Raptors prediction foresees the Heat churning out another win.
Heat Looking For Their Fourth Straight Victory
Miami produced eight wins across its first 16 outings. Since that start, the team has posted a 4-2 record in the last six games, including a 122-113 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. In that contest, four of Miami’s starters scored in double figures, spearheaded by a spectacular scoring display from Tyler Herro. He finished with 34 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on 10-for-19 shooting from the field and a 5-for-9 effort from 3-point range.
Duncan Robinson added 23 points, including four 3-pointers, while Jimmy Butler contributed 18 points and five assists. Not only was this the Heat’s third straight win, but it was also their fourth straight victory on their home floor. This game also marked the third consecutive outing in which Miami topped the 120-point threshold.
Raptors Hope To End Three-Game Skid
Meanwhile, the Raptors managed just five wins in their first 20 contests. They have fared somewhat better since that horrific start, going 2-3 over their previous five games. However, they enter this conference tilt amid a three-game losing streak, including a 113-108 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
RJ Barrett led a trio of starters who scored in double figures. He finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Scottie Barnes added 15 points and five rebounds. The Raptors also got a solid performance from Ja’Kobe Walter, who led the second unit with 19 points.
The teams were tied at 108 in the game’s waning moments. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns converted a layup to give New York a two-point advantage with 36 seconds left. He followed that up with a clutch 3-point shot to seal the deal, enabling the Knicks to extend their winning streak over Toronto to five games.
Heat vs Raptors Prediction: Miami Wins Its Fourth Straight
Miami is surging, having won seven of its last 10 games. This ball club is also reasonably decent from a defensive standpoint, ranking seventh in scoring defense (109.3 PPG) and 11th in defensive rating (112.0 Points Per 100 Possessions). Conversely, the Raptors have dropped three straight and have three separate losing streaks of at least four games this season. Simply put, Miami rolls to its fourth straight victory.
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