Jimmy Butler, Heat hold off Raptors
Head coach Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat look on against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at FTX Arena on January 15, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP
Jimmy Butler had a triple-double and Bam Adebayo returned after missing 22 games, leading the host Miami Heat to a 104-99 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Adebayo, who had surgery on his right thumb, posted 14 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes, his first action since Nov. 29. He made 4 of 12 shots.
Tyler Herro added a team-high 23 points as Miami improved to 19-8 against Eastern Conference teams. The Heat are 14-5 at home.
Jimmy bounced back like we knew he would…and with a triple double.#JimmyButler // #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/wfjE8sxZoh
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 18, 2022
Chris Boucher scored 23 points to lead the Raptors, who are 7-3 in their past 10 games. Fred VanVleet added 22 points, but he had just 11 after the first quarter.
Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, who had a triple-double in his previous game, had 18 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Heat point guard Kyle Lowry missed the game due to personal reasons. This would have been his first game against Toronto since the Raptors traded him to Miami in August.
Precious Achiuwa, Miami’s first-round pick in 2020, had six points and a game-high 15 rebounds in his first game against the Heat. He was part of the Lowry trade.
WE GOT BAM BACK 🙌 14 points and 9 rebounds in his first game since late November.#BamAdebayo // #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/BEid9CrTuv
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 18, 2022
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes, who missed Toronto’s previous game due to a right knee injury, had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr. missed his fifth straight game due to a left ankle injury.
Toronto led 30-27 after one quarter, getting 11 points and 3-for-7 shooting from VanVleet, with all of those attempts coming from deep.
Miami closed the second quarter with an 11-2 run, strolling into halftime with a 58-51 advantage. The Heat held VanVleet to no shots in the second quarter.
Butler led all first-half scorers with 15 points. As a team, Miami shot 50 percent from the floor for the half, and Toronto was held to 43.5 percent.
The third quarter featured 12 lead changes and three tie scores, but Herro scored Miami’s final seven points, and the Heat went into the fourth with an 80-75 lead.
In the fourth, Miami led 99-92 with 4:13 left, but a 4-0 Toronto run left the Heat with a three-point lead with 1:48 remaining.
Miami’s Gabe Vincent came up with a pair of strong defensive plays, and P.J. Tucker made his only 3-pointer of the game for a 102-96 lead with 20.7 seconds to play. The Heat held on from there.
