Getty Heat forward Jimmy Butler.
The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat will look to continue their strong starts in the bubble as they clash in a matinee Eastern Conference tilt in Orlando.
The game starts at 1:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBA TV (nationally), Fox Sports Sun (locally in Heat market) and Sportsnet One (locally in Raptors market).
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If you don’t have cable, anyone in the US can also watch a live stream of the Raptors vs Heat via a free trial of FuboTV.
On top of FuboTV’s main 97-channel package, you can include add-on bundles such as “Sports Plus” or “fubo Extra.” Both of those include NBA TV, and both can be included in a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch a live stream of NBA TV’s broadcast of the Raptors vs Heat scrimmage on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
Raptors vs Heat Preview
Bubble life couldn’t have started out better for the Raptors and Heat, with both teams scoring a key wins over a strong Western Conference foes in their openers.
Toronto bested the West leading Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, frustrating superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis with a tremendous game plan. Behind 33 points from Kyle Lowry, the Raptors came out with the 107-92 win, blowing it open late in the fourth quarter.
“[Coach Nick Nurse] says he’s going to kind of ease us back in and use it as an exhibition,” Lowry said. “We’ve got too many competitive guys that want to go out there and play and hoop and win games, especially against the guys like the Lakers and with the team that’s No. 1 in the West. The competitive juices get going.”
The Raptors may have lost their star in Kawhi Leonard this offseason, but the team from north of the border showed championship poise in downing the Lakers.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to pay too much attention to us,” Nurse said. “But that’s OK. We know we’re tough to beat, and I don’t think we’ve reached our ceiling yet.”
The Heat throttled a shorthanded Denver squad in their opener in a game that was essentially over by the third quarter. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 22 points in the victory. However, whispers are growing into worries that Butler might not be available for the team against the Raptors. The five-time All-Star had an excused absence from practice and his teammate Jae Crowder seemed to hint that he’s self-isolating.
“We want to talk to him as soon as he gets out of quarantine or whatever he’s in,” Crowder said. “It’s just a next-man-up mentality from a standpoint of staying locked in and engaged, because we know he’s locked in and engaged once he’s able to get back with us.
“It’s definitely a curveball for all of us to hear stuff like what’s going on with him,” Crowder added. “You never know what to expect.”
The Heat are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and are trying to hold off the Pacers and Sixers. The Raptors are fairly comfortable in the No. 2 spot, but the Celtics have a chance to snag it depending on how the seeding games go.