The Miami Heat opened preseason with a 129-105 win over the Toronto Raptors, and the first thing that jumped off the page was how quickly Giannis Antetokounmpo made everything tilt in Miami’s favor.
He didn’t need long. In 14 minutes, Giannis finished with 9 points on 3-for-3 shooting, 3-for-4 at the line and 4 rebounds.
More importantly, he handed out 7 assists in the first half alone, and every one of them led to a made 3-pointer. Miami had 19 assists in the opening half, and Giannis accounted for more than a third of them.
That was the story of the night: one-on-one defense was a losing bet, and double-teams came with a price. When the Raptors stayed home, Giannis attacked, scored and drew fouls.
When they sent help, he kicked the ball out and Miami’s shooters kept cashing in. The Heat hit 47.8% from deep in the first half against one of the East’s better defensive teams.
The foul line was another problem for Toronto. Miami averaged 25 free throw attempts per game last season, but Giannis and Bam Adebayo combined for 10 in the first half by themselves.
As a team, the Heat had 24 free throw attempts by halftime. That’s the tradeoff Giannis forces: guard him straight up and risk giving up a huge night, or bring extra bodies and let the rest of the floor light you up.
Erik Spoelstra kept the rotations fluid and used a constant wave of line changes instead of locking into anything set. The depth showed up across the roster, starting with Tim Hardaway Jr., who wore his father Tim Hardaway Sr.’s old No. 10 and went a perfect 3-for-3 from deep.
Nikola Jovic added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and he stayed on the floor for extended minutes with the lower group as Miami continues trying to rebuild his confidence.
Bobby Portis also made his presence felt in his first preseason game, showing versatility and a Heat edge after getting into a confrontation over positioning on a jump ball. That kind of edge should make him a quick favorite.
Nick Richard gave Miami solid frontcourt minutes with 7 rebounds in just 10 minutes and two blocked shots, another sign that the Heat finally have real depth inside.
Larsson was one of the most intriguing players on the floor. He put up 13 points in 11 minutes, attacked the basket hard enough to earn 7 free throw attempts, and hit all 7.
He also picked up full-court pressure defensively, forced deflections and finished with two steals. With the second unit lacking ball handling, he’s likely to spend plenty of time with the ball in his hands.
That second unit issue was hard to miss. Spoelstra can stagger Giannis and Bam to keep the offense centered around them, but the lack of reliable handling behind them stood out.
Ryan Conwell or Tre Donaldson could end up seeing real minutes if that group can’t protect the ball and keep it moving. Exhibit 10 players Bez Mbeng and Ian Scheffielin played well in extended second-half run, while Vlad Goldin, who currently has a two-way spot, did not.
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