MIAMI _ On an afternoon the Toronto Raptors tied a franchise record with 21 3-pointers and also set the record for most by a Miami Heat opponent, there was an aspect even more impressive than their .525 percentage from beyond the arc.
It was their ability to consistently create so many absurdly opens looks.
Shooting as if in practice rather than a game, the Raptors started hot and stayed that way long enough to blow past the Heat, 125-104, on Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena, with many of their long balls coming in transition.
"The amount of commitment and effort and focus for our conversion defense would have had to be 10 times what it was," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That's what was required in a game like this."
Whether in a zone or man-to-man defense, the Heat spent much of the afternoon in scramble mode as their scramble for a playoff position took a decided hit in a decidedly uninspired effort.
"We were just one step too slow," Heat guard Goran Dragic said.
With a challenging remaining schedule that includes a game in Toronto, as well as two apiece against the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, the Heat could not take advantage of the Raptors giving All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard the day off for rest.
The deficit reached double digits midway through the opening period, was 14 at halftime, stood at 17 in the third quarter and got worse from there, as Spoelstra burned through timeouts.
"You could just feel their intensity, and it didn't wane," Spoelstra said. "When you talk about feeling a team, we felt them."
For all the Heat accomplished in the four-game winning streak entering the day, this was not the same as playing the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets or Cleveland Cavaliers.
"They took advantage of our glitches." Forward Josh Richardson said of the Raptors.
Point guard Kyle Lowry closed with 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead the Raptors, supported by 20 points from forward Pascal Siakam.
Center Bam Adebayo finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Heat.
