The Toronto Raptors and host Miami Heat have plenty in common ahead of their clash on Monday.
Both are well rested on the back of NBA Cup quarterfinal exits on Tuesday. Both are weighed down by four-game losing streaks.
The five-day break appears to have come at the perfect time for both teams that, despite their respective slumps, remain within touching distance of the Eastern Conference pacesetters.
“Really important just to reset the mind, reset the body, look at these first 26 games and see what we’ve done well, what we haven’t done so well,” Toronto forward Brandon Ingram said.
“One big lesson that I take away from the course of the season is we have little margin for error, especially when we have guys in and out of the lineup.”
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic is comfortable with where his team sits.
“I think we’re right where we need to be,” he said. “Winning nine games in a row (Nov. 11-26) was awesome, but nobody expected it was going to be 18 or 20 or that the whole season is going to be like that.
“We were a little bit lucky at the start of the season as well because we did have a full roster, everybody available and healthy. We found some really good chemistry between our starters and the second unit. I think things are where they need to be.”
Ingram had a team-high 31 points as Toronto was knocked out of the NBA Cup by the New York Knicks 117-101 on Tuesday, which was the Raptors’ seventh game in 11 days.
Immanuel Quickley (illness) and Jamison Battle (ankle) were sidelined, as was RJ Barrett (knee), who is inching toward a return but was ruled out for Monday. He has missed Toronto’s last nine outings and hasn’t played since Nov. 23. Quickley and Battle are expected to return.
Ingram leads the Raptors in scoring this season, averaging 21.5 points.
Miami is fully aware of the threat posed by Ingram, who hasn’t missed a game this season after sitting out 64 in 2024-25 with a left ankle issue.
“He’s healthy — that’s a big part of his success,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Whenever he’s been healthy, he’s been an explosive scorer. He’s a tough guard. He gets to his spots and raises up above most defenses. He’s in a great system, great rhythm right now.”
Norman Powell scored 21 points and Tyler Herro added 20 as Miami was ousted from the Cup by the in-state rival Orlando Magic on Tuesday, 117-108.
The positive for the Heat is that they have had the ideal amount of time since that defeat to iron out their deficiencies on the practice floor.
“The timing of these practices has been good,” Spoelstra said. “Last year when we got knocked out of the Cup earlier, we had those practices earlier and that was a little bit awkward. We all felt, staff and player alike, that we could use some practice time and get working on some things.”
Spoelstra believes Miami has more in common with the Raptors than just current form.
“This year it’s been almost mirror-imaging — the style of play, where we’ve been in the conference, the aggressiveness, commitment to defense,” he said. “But I would say any year that the Heat and Toronto face each other, it always ends up being a great competitive game.”
