There was a 13-0 surge in the third quarter.
A rally to a 61-61 tie after an early 21-point deficit.
A zone defense that helped torment the Toronto Raptors into 22 turnovers.
But, in the end Friday night, as it seemingly has been all season for the Miami Heat, there was not enough, in what turned into a 101-81 loss at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., snapping the Heat’s two-game winning streak.
Not enough offense, with the 81 points a season low.
Not enough quality defense, with the Raptors 17 of 40 on 3-pointers.
And, basically, not enough bodies.
With Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Avery Bradley out, among others, the Heat never led, in falling to 6-8.
Forced to utilize rotations both unexpected and previously unseen, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra mixed and matched with the likes of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Moe Harkless and just about every available body to little avail, other than the single, sustained comeback in the third quarter.
The Heat got 22 points from Kendrick Nunn, 13 from Goran Dragic, as well as 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists from Bam Adebayo.
The Raptors were led by Norman Powell’s 23 points.
In addition to being without Butler, Bradley and Herro, the Heat also were without Meyers Leonard, due to a shoulder strain, and forward Chris Silva, due to a strained left hip flexor.
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Five Degrees of Heat from Friday’s game:
— 1. Rough road: It only gets tougher from here for the Heat, with the next two against Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on Saturday and Monday nights in Brooklyn, and then home games that follow against two of the best in the West, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.
— 2. By subtraction: Raptors guard Kyle Lowry was a late scratch, due to an infected toe.
So, instead, Toronto inserted Powell in the starting lineup, and took off from there.
Powell then shot 6 of 6 for 14 points in the first quarter, as the Raptors pushed to an early 21-point lead before taking a 37-20 edge into the second period.
Powell was up to 19 points by halftime, when he was 8 of 11 from the field.
— 3. Nunn again: Nunn followed up his 28-point Wednesday performance with 13 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting, keeping the Heat within striking distance.
Nunn also had three first-half steals, his high for any half over his two-season career.
— 4. Bad start: The Heat trailed 56-42 at the intermission, after a first half that included 10 turnovers and 4-of-13 shooting on 3-pointers. The Raptors, by contrast, shot 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.
It was not, however, the Heat’s worst first half of the season, having scored 31 points over the first two periods of their Jan. 1 loss in Dallas.
— 5. Praise offered: What shouldn’t be lost, Spoelstra said, is the reality that the Raptors have been forced to play their games in Tampa due to Canadian border restrictions during the pandemic.
“What you think about is Toronto, and what they’ve gone through,” he said of the Raptors. “You have to keep everything in perspective. I think they’ve handled it with great class, to be able to move their organization and play their home games in Florida. We can’t even imagine that.”
