Takeaways For Toronto as RJ Barrett Stars Again in Raptors Victory Over Heat

The Toronto Raptors saw RJ Barrett explode for 37 points in an upset victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night

Dec 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) drives to the basket as Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) defends in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors 119, Miami Heat 116

Barrett Loves Toronto

Have you looked at RJ Barrett’s splits this season?

Coming into Sunday night, Barrett was averaging 10 points per game more in home games compared to when the Raptors play on the road. There’d been an 11-percentage point difference in his field goal percentage at Scotiabank Arena compared to road games.

So, how’d it go in Barrett’s first game back in almost two weeks? Probably as you’d expect. Barrett went off for 37 points on 15-for-20 shooting against Miami.

"I just been trying to concentrate a little more, I guess. Put a little more focus into it," Barrett said of his lopsided splits.

Barrett got going in the first quarter with 13 points in his first 10 minutes and never let up. His shot chart was a thing of beauty, almost entirely in the Barrett sweet spot inside the paint and shading to his left hand. He repeatedly twisted and turned his way for buckets in the paint and the Heat never were able to adjust.

It was the kind of performance that has been the difference for the Raptors who moved to 5-4 at home this season. When Barrett is playing the way he did Sunday, Toronto is a feisty team that should only get better when Immanuel Quickley and Gradey Dick return.

Barrett clinched the game for Toronto, first driving his way inside and scoring over Jimmy Butler to put the Raptors up six with two minutes to go. He then found Scottie Barnes behind the arc for three as the Raptors struggled to keep Miami at bay.

Walter Continues to Impress

Ja’Kobe Walter is earning a longer leash.

It was just a week ago that the Raptors had planned to let their 20-year-old first-round pick get some extra developmental seasoning in the G league for a little while. Toronto figured he’d get more playing time with Raptors 905 and those extra opportunities would help in the long run.

Then Dick sprained his calf and suddenly Walter is starting for the Raptors and doing so at a pretty adequate level.

“He did really good job of bringing another two-way player, somebody that can guard and bring aggressiveness, really good use of his length and being disruptive defensively,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said pre-game. “He does a good job guarding on-ball screens and DHOs and then on offense what I really liked is he is not afraid, he was able to get to his spots, get his shots, to drive the ball to the rim.”

Walter again looked solid against Miami, chipping in 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting. He’s repeatedly shown he has a knack for getting his hands on the ball but Walter showed more than that Sunday, connecting on a pair of pull-up jumpers in the paint when the Heat walled off the rim. In the third, he snaked his way inside, getting Tyler Herro on his hip, before hitting a nine-foot floater.

"I think just during that whole process, I think I was getting better in different ways, and watching a lot of film with my coaches and my teammates talking through the game kind of just helped me for this experience right now," said Walter who missed all of training camp and the preseason with an AC joint sprain. "Then just being in the game more, getting more experience and starting to slow down."

A momentary letup on the defensive end by Walter did allow Herro to get a wide-open three-pointer midway through the fourth that caused some alarm.

When the Raptors do get healthy this year, Walter is still likely to see extended playing time in the G League this year. That said, his short stint over the past few games has shown there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Toronto’s 2024 first-round pick.

Barnes’ Brilliant Passing

Scottie Barnes’ ability to throw entry passes to players with post position early in an offensive possession is probably his most remarkable skill. He has an other-worldly ability to get the Raptors into ideal positioning with high-arching passes over the top of opposing defenses. It’s how he repeatedly found RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl or kickstarted successful Raptors possession with early paint touches.

"Scottie is a real true point guard, man. Whenever he has the ball, run. Run and make eye contact with him because he's always looking," Barrett said of Barnes.

Barnes came up just shy of his second straight triple-double against Miami, finishing Sunday night with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists while icing the game at the free-throw line for Toronto.

Up Next: Indiana Pacers

The Raptors will wrap up their NBA Cup schedule on Tuesday when they play host to the Indiana Pacers at 7:30 p.m. ET.