Miami Heat will visit Toronto Raptors on Friday night to snap a four-game losing line and start a print for the playoffs.
The heat return from the All-Star break sits ninth in the eastern conference while Raptors is 13th after losing five of his last six matches.
“The last (29) games are really important to everyone,” said Miami guard Tyler Herro. “We lost the last (four) on our way into the break. We have a new group in some way. We will hit the ground. It will happen quickly and everything will do something in the next month and a half.”
The heat has another look since their home victory 114-104 over Raptors on December 12 where Herro scored 23 points and Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 16 returns.
They have added Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and former Raptor Davion Mitchell after February 6, who sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
“We have also been looking for clarity and texture for our list,” Herro said. “So it has worked through a bunch of different moving parts. But we have a fantastic group now. We love exactly what we got and we are happy for this next stretch after the break. We have clarity now. We have a lot of clarity.”
The heat has 18 home games left so the schedule can help them.
“It’s just a matter of texture. Putting together a good month and half here to enter the playoffs will really be big for us,” Herro said.
The heat is 2-1 this season against Raptors, who has a split a home-and-home set on November 29 and December 1.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said his goal is to use the rest of the season to develop players on a rebuilding list.
“All the guys did it back in time (despite snow conditions),” Rajakovic said after an easy exercise Wednesday, coming from the All-Star break. “We had great energy today. It was a very necessary rest and very positive energy for the rest of the year.
“I have only one goal. I told the guys today, my goal is that every player on the guard list is improved by this distance of 27 matches. This means that we have to give an opportunity for many players to be on the track to get the valuable minutes.
Toronto treated Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Mitchell before the trading deadline two weeks ago and acquired Brandon Ingram, who is out with a precise ankle. Rajakovic said Ingram is not close to returning.
Jakob Poeltl (Hip Pointer), who missed the five games before the break, said he feels the team has the ability to do a run on a play-in-tournament, but also looks to the future.
“Although we do not do the play-in tournament, I think we can still have a successful rest of the season if we grow as a team, if we really get our chemistry right, if we maintain this attitude and work ethics we have worked With this whole season, Poeltl said.
Toronto signed Jared Rhoden to a 10-day contract on Wednesday and announced that Rookie Ulrich Chomche (knee) is out for the rest of the season.
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