Inside: After losing big lead, Raptors recover with late run for payback win over Heat,

After blowing big lead, Raptors regroup and go on a big run

A huge lead had disappeared, the typical offensive drought had hit and the Raptors were reeling.

A Gabe Vincent layup had wiped out the final vestiges of a 21-point advantage midway through the third quarter, pulling the Miami Heat into a 61-61 tie, and you could sense the confidence seeping out of the Raptors.

But in one of their most impressive — and maybe most important — recoveries of the season, the Raptors came out of a timeout and reeled off a 12-0 run. It gave them confidence, it gave them a big lead, and it ultimately gave them a 101-81 victory over the Heat on Friday night in Tampa.

A clutch three-pointer from Stanley Johnson and a steal and breakaway basket by OG Anunoby keyed that late-third run that gave the Raptors control of the game.

The win gives them a 5-9 record heading into a Sunday-Monday series in Indiana, and was the Raptors’ fourth in five games. They had come in off a Wednesday performance against Miami that coach Nick Nurse had termed “unacceptable” before Friday’s tip, and responded with a blistering start.

“We were building and building and building and building, and it kind of culminated with that defensive effort against Dallas (on Monday),” Nurse said.

“And then there was just nothing there the other night. It’s hard to explain. It just happens, but it’s unacceptable.”

But as good as they were in building a 17-point first-quarter lead and accepting Nurse’s challenge to work harder, they were far too nonchalant in the middle portion of the game. It wasn’t until they buckled down in the final five minutes of the third quarter and first six of the fourth that they were able to put Miami away.

Norm Powell, starting for Kyle Lowry (toe infection), had 23 points for the Raptors, while Anunoby chipped in with 21.

Threes frame: Every Raptors starter made a three-pointer in a torrid first quarter, when they made eight of 11 long-distance shots and hung 37 points on the board. None was more welcome than the one by Pascal Siakam. He had missed 12 straight threes over a threegame period, and was 2-for-20 from long distance over his last five outings, before connecting early on Friday night. The Raptors’ hot shooting start included one stretch where they made threes on three straight possessions in a 55-second span: Fred VanVleet, Aron Baynes and Anunoby in succession.

Big relief: Baynes continues a resurgence. The starting centre, who didn’t play a minute in three straight games on a western swing, had his second solid outing in a row against the Heat and their all-star centre Bam Adebayo. Baynes played 23 minutes, had six rebounds, made a three-pointer and was a solid presence defensively. With Chris Boucher having an off-night, Baynes even got playing time in the second quarter, when he has usually been watching a small Raptors lineup play.

OG for three: Anunoby made five three-pointers, continuing the best scoring streak of his young career. He has now scored in double figures in seven straight games, his longest stretch. Anunoby also had a couple of steals in 35 solid minutes.