Raptors return to action tonight against Heat on TSN
Published
The Toronto Raptors are back in action after a four-day break as they welcome franchise icon Kyle Lowry back to Toronto with the Miami Heat on TSN.
Toronto last played on Dec. 1, in a 119-106 loss to the New York Knicks, and since they did not advance past the round robin of the In-Season Tournament, they did not have a game scheduled for Wednesday.
To fill the missing game on their regular-season schedule, they have been given a matchup against the Heat and a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
This is the first of four meetings between the two teams this year - a matchup that Toronto won last season, three games to one.
The return of Lowry is always a special night at Scotiabank Arena, after the beloved point guard spent nine seasons in Toronto and was a leading force in their 2019 NBA Championship. He is the franchise leader in three-point field goals, assists and steals, and is second in Raptors history in points scored and games played.
Toronto, meanwhile, enters play Wednesday having split their past eight games. An ongoing theme this season has been the Raptors' inconsistent play - they have wins against top-tier opponents in the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, but still sit at 9-11 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Scottie Barnes continues to emerge in his third season with the Raptors after being selected fourth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. He is currently setting career highs in points (19.6), rebounds (9.1) and assists (5.5) per game this season.
The Heat will be without starters Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, as well as Haywood Highsmith, Dru Smith, and RJ Hampton.