Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat: Game preview, TV channel, injury report, start time

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Who's Playing

Matchup: Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat

Records: Raptors (47-19), Heat (31-34)

Where to Watch

Date: March 10

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: SN1/SNE/SNO/SNW/SNP

Radio: TSN Radio 1050 Toronto

Location: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL

Game Preview

The Miami Heat have spent most of the season on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference playoff race, but winning five of their last six games has moved them ahead of the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets in the standings.

The Heat now have the eighth-best record in the conference and trail the Brooklyn Nets in seventh place by only two games. They'll have an opportunity to tighten that gap on Sunday, when they host a Toronto Raptors team that'll be without Kawhi Leonard, who will miss his 19th game of the season due to load management.

Only the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets have a better net rating than the Heat over the last six games. They've beaten the Nets, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers during that stretch, their only loss coming to the Rockets in a game in which James Harden exploded for 58 points.

Now back in the lineup after missing most of the season with a knee injury, Goran Dragic has given the Heat a huge boost in his return. He's scored 20-plus points in two of his last three appearances, including 27 points in 20 minutes off the bench in their win over the Warriors.

"You see that he brings something off the dribble that we need," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Dragic following their latest win.

Kelly Olynyk has also stepped up for the Heat with an average of 18.3 points on 59.3 percent shooting from 3-point range in his last six games. He's been the team's second-leading scorer, trailing only Dragic.

Notes

Dwyane Wade continues to play well for the Heat in his final season. He averaged 15.8 points per game in the month of February and is posting 13.0 points and 5.0 assists through four games this month.

Wade will play his final regular season game in Toronto next month, on April 7.

Kawhi Leonard will miss his 19th game of the season on Sunday. The Raptors are 13-5 in games he has missed this season, with multiple players stepping up in his absence.

Jeremy Lin is coming off of his best game as a member of the Raptors. In 22 minutes off the bench, Lin scored 14 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on 6-for-9 shooting from the field.

A number of other players played well for the Raptors in that game. Kyle Lowry finished with a triple-double, Serge Ibaka blocked five shots and Pascal Siakam was their second-leading scorer with 19 points.

The Raptors are 2-0 against the Heat this season. They won the first meeting by 10 points and the second by two.

Last Time They Played

Date: Dec. 26, 2018

Score: Raptors 106, Heat 104

Raptors: Kawhi Leonard – 30 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

Heat: Justise Winslow — 21 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Author(s)
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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News