Darko Rajakovic Details Toronto Raptors Key Win Over Miami Heat

Head coach Darko Rajakovic and the Toronto Raptors earned an impressive 121-95 win Tuesday night in Scotiabank Arena against the Miami Heat. In a highly important contest for seeding, the Raptors led for 91% of the game and beat the Heat in every team statistic. Two-time All-Stars Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes led Toronto’s offense, combining for 48 points on 59.4% shooting.

This was just the first time Barnes had scored 25 points in a game since Feb. 8th. The former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft had been serving as the primary playmaker while starting point guard Immanuel Quickley was sidelined for eight games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. While he thrived in that role (averaging 10.6 assists per game during that stretch), he struggled to balance scoring with it (14.3 points per game). 

As for the Raptors’ leading scorer on the season, his 23 points were the most in a contest over his last nine games. While he hasn’t necessarily struggled in recent weeks, he had somewhat taken a step back to RJ Barrett, who is in the midst of the best scoring stretch of his career. 

Postgame, Rajakovic was asked about what allowed the team’s leaders to thrive offensively in the same game, something that hasn’t happened much this season.

“It's all about winning,” said Rajakovic. “You have two winners over there who’s going to do everything possible to help the team win. They did what their job is, tonight. Really proud of both of them, really proud of the whole team, but those guys just stepping in on the court with the mentality to compete, to get a very important win, was the key.”

His answer seemed like a cop-out based on the specificity of the question. Just calling them “winning players” rather than answering how they were able to thrive on the offensive end together is interesting to say the least, coming from their head coach. One of two things is true in this scenario: either there was no change to the approach from a schematic or game plan standpoint, or Rajakovic doesn’t want to give up a secret to something that may help them in the playoffs. 

Whichever is the case, the Raptors shone bright in a must-win game. Somehow, after everything that’s happened this season, they are right back in a position to control their own destiny and end the three-year playoff drought without needing to advance through the Play-In Tournament to do so. The win kept the Raptors in the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and just one game behind the Atlanta Hawks. 

With only three games remaining in the regular season, Toronto must continue to win to avoid the Play-In. The Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Charlotte Hornets all lie within just 1.5 games of the Raptors, meaning if they don’t take care of business, they could fall into the 9/10 matchup and be forced to win two elimination games to make the playoffs. They have a rematch against the Heat, along with the final matchups against the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets over the next four days.