As with every game between the Raptors and the Heat, there was an air of ugliness to the proceedings on Wednesday night. (And we’re not just talking about Miami’s pink-blue gradient uniform.) Both teams, even through various reformations over the years — or short-handed, as the case was for Miami without Jimmy Butler — these two squads find ways to bring out both the best and worst in each other. That’s led to some out-and-out slugfests over the years, and tonight’s contest in Tampa was no different.
But this is the new NBA, where much of the game is determined by who can take and make the most three-pointers across 48 minutes.