Koloko-Martin scuffle sparks Raptors — but it was too little, too late

MIAMI – Heading into the season, the Toronto Raptors were brimming with confidence, in part because they believed they had an identity, and – more importantly – they believed in that identity.

They were going to be defence-first, playing a hounding, aggressive style coming at opponents in waves. They built a team around it, doubled down on it in the off-season and believe it was their ability to cause havoc for other teams that helped them finish 2021-22 on a 55-win pace in the second half of the year.

Let’s just say the only waves in the Miami area for most of Saturday night’s meeting between the Miami Heat and the Raptors were lapping on the sands of nearby South Beach.

For the first 30 minutes of Toronto’s two-game set against the Heat in Miami – the second game is set for Monday as the NBA has introduced some baseball-type series to cut down on travel miles and associated wear and tear – the Raptors looked like they were in a hurry to enjoy a night on the town and a subsequent off-day in the sun in one of the league’s glamour cities. They caused no havoc.

And it cost them what ended up a 112-109 loss that was closer than the full 48-minute record would suggest.

But could there be a long-term benefit? The Raptors were eventually sparked by a strange, out-of-nowhere confrontation between their rookie centre Christian Koloko and Heat forward Caleb Martin, who got tangled up with Koloko early in the third quarter, stood over him like he’d vanquished him in a fight and then – when Koloko stood up to defend himself – tackled the Cameroonian centre into the first row of seats on the baseline.

No one was hurt, both players were ejected, and a large but harmless melee ensued, but the Raptors were a different team for the rest of the night.

“We understood what type of game it was at that point, and we just wanted to go out there and basically not get punked, you know what I mean?” said Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa, who scored 10 of his season-high 18 points and grabbed six of his season-high 11 rebounds in the second half.

“In the huddle we just talked about no matter what the situation, you know, just go out there and play hard, play the right way and everything was going to take care of itself.”

Well it would have if it hadn’t come to that. The Raptors arrived late on their back-to-back from Brooklyn on Friday, but as their play after the skirmish showed, where there’s a will there’s a way.

But the two teams meet in Miami again on Monday, and the Raptors' focus promises to be that much sharper.

“It’s a quick turnaround, we play them again Monday, now we come in and everyone knows what it’s going to take,” said Achiuwa. “I think guys are going to be a lot more locked in and come in with a different type of focus because obviously we’re trying to win the game and get one up on the road.”

The Raptors fell to 1-2 on the season while the Heat – who were also playing on the second night of a back-to-back, albeit they were at home Friday night – improved to 1-2.

It was costly too, because the Raptors lost Scottie Barnes for the night early in the second quarter after he sprained his right ankle – the same one that he sprained just before training camp that kept him out for three weeks – when came down funny after completing a soaring lay-up for his 11^th point in just 13 minutes.

He got an X-ray at the arena and may get an MRI on Sunday, but he was walking with only a slight limp in the dressing room afterwards, so the hope is it’s not a major setback.

The first half for the Raptors definitely was. Miami shot 63 per cent in the first quarter, led by 21 at the half and seemed to be headed for a blowout -- Toronto was trailing by 22 with 7:35 to play in the third quarter when the dust settled. The Raptors rode the surge of adrenaline to a 17-2 run to cut Miami’s lead to seven, with Miami eventually taking a 92-83 lead into the fourth.

The Raptors couldn’t close the gap from there, though they kept trying. A pair of jumpers by Gary Trent Jr. kept the Heat lead at with five minutes to play, and a put-back by Pascal Siakam cut it to six with 64 seconds left.

Fittingly it was a lay-up by Kyle Lowry that seemingly iced the game with 41 seconds and completed a strong out by the former Raptor star against his old club as he finished with 17 points and six assists. The Raptors did cut the lead to three as Achiuwa made a pair of free throws and O.G. Anunoby hit a three, but a Jimmy Butler free throw put the lead back to four before the clock eventually ran out on the visitors.

The Raptors were led by Siakam, who had 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, flirting with his second triple-double in as many nights. Trent Jr. had 23 points and shot 5-of-12 from deep, while Achiuwa had his 18 and 11.

Toronto shot 42.5 per cent from the floor while making 14 threes, while the Heat shot 49.5 per cent and made 11 triples. The biggest difference was at the free throw line as Miami shot 25-of-27 from the stripe and Toronto was 21-of-28.

As for the ‘fight’? There was no obvious build-up to the moment, though Martin and Siakam had exchanged some words a few possessions before.

“I was confused as you,” said Koloko. “I have no idea. He just stood up looking at me like crazy. I just stood up. I don’t know. … when he fouled me, he basically was grabbing me and pushing me. Then I fell … I don’t even know him. I didn’t know what was going on. I don’t know what was going on (in) his head. I don’t know. Whatever.”

Martin’s version: “That’s typically how the game goes with Toronto. It’s a chippy back and forth … overall, I got to be more professional in the way I handle those type of situations.”

Koloko’s reaction was supported by his teammates.

“I didn’t think he should have got thrown out,” said Fred VanVleet, who struggled with foul trouble the entire game and finished with seven points and four assists. “But he’ll be all right. It’s his first scuffle. I hope we get many more. That is going to be our big guy, so we need him causing problems down there.”

That they reeled the Heat back to that extent was an indictment of their effort to that point. After the Raptors' early no-show, the rest of the game was played in a familiar style between the two clubs that each pride themselves on hard-nosed play, but spotting the Heat a 22-point lead and first-half holiday was never going to work.

Lowry made a point of having an impact in just his second game against his former team since leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2021. He missed an early lay-up and had a careless turnover in the early going, and then had to leave the game briefly after getting his chin split open.

But he nailed a pair of weakside threes and had a nice assist on a fastbreak as the Heat pushed their first-quarter lead to 11 before the Raptors reeled them in a little bit. The Raptors closed the period with two triples from Trent Jr. and one by Achiuwa as Miami led 38-33 to start the second quarter, which made sense given they were shooting 63 per cent from the floor and 6-of-9 from deep.

Old pal Lowry was a perfect 3-of-3 – the Raptors should know he can shoot and where his spots are, but the only time he shot a triple that was contested, Siakam fouled him in the act of shooting for a four-point play.

And when the Raptors were paying attention? That didn’t go well either as Lowry went to set a screen for Jimmy Butler on the wing, dragged two defenders with him as he faked the screen and kept running to the corner leaving Butler a wide-open lane for a straight-line dunk.

The Heat led 71-50 at the half, which was the only story that really mattered.

Sure the Raptors got a boost after the Koloko-Martin skirmish, but it was a hole too deep.

The best they can hope is that a night on the town and a day in the sun won’t soften the edge they finished the game with when the two teams meet on Monday.

They’ll need it as they try to avoid an early season three-game losing streak.