Kyle Lowry didn't have the touch in his return.
In an overtime loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Lowry scored 12 points on 2-for-18 shooting from the field and 0-for-11 from 3-point range. He dished out a team-high 11 assists while committing only one turnover, but it wasn't quite enough for the Toronto Raptors to overcome an off-night from him, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.
Lowry, however, isn't worried about his performance.
"That's terrible," Lowry told the media after the game, per TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "That's rhythm, man. I missed shots. I didn't force anything, I don't think... I haven't played basketball since New Orleans, so that takes a game. I'm sure I'll be better next game. It's nothing to be concerned or worried about."
MORE: Takeaways from a tough loss to the Heat
Lowry was playing some of the best basketball of his career prior to fracturing his left thumb. He was averaging 24.0 points, 6.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds entering that game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 8, doing so on a career-best 48.1 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from the perimeter.
The Raptors were 5-2 in those games, their only losses coming to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
According to Lewenberg, Lowry said that it will take him some time to integrate himself back into the lineup, especially with the way VanVleet and Siakam have been playing lately. In the 11 games Lowry missed, VanVleet averaged 21.2 points and 7.5 assists compared to 24.0 points and 4.3 assists for Siakam.
The Raptors are now 15-5 on the season, tying them with the Heat for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
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