Gary Trent Jr. continues his red hot scoring streak as Raptors complete comeback win over Heat

Kyle Irving

• 5 min read

The Toronto Raptors looked like they were going to let their win streak slip away against the Miami Heat, but Gary Trent Jr. had other ideas.

Trailing by 12 points at the half, the Raptors sparked a comeback in the third quarter behind Trent's hot hand. The Heat fought back late in the fourth quarter but Toronto wouldn't surrender the lead, coming away with a 110-106 victory over Miami.

Trent finished with a game-high 33 points to keep his red hot stretch of play going, trading blows with Bam Adebayo, who went for a season-high 32 points for the Heat.

For more on the win that extends the Raptors win streak to three games, we have you covered with some thoughts below.

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1. Gary Trent Jr. refuses to cool off

Trent may never snap out of this hot streak.

After going for 31 points in a win over the Hawks on Monday, Trent became the first Raptors player since Kawhi Leonard (2019) to record 30-plus points in four consecutive games. He kept that streak going tonight, going off for 33 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field and six 3s to place himself alongside prestigious company again.

With his fifth-straight 30-point game, Trent joined DeMar DeRozan as the only two players in franchise history to accomplish that feat. He also set a franchise record for most consecutive games (5) with five or more made 3s.

😱😱😱 @gtrentjr pic.twitter.com/qrVjYjoMDR
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 2, 2022

Trent has been the Raptors' most consistent source of offence as of late and he doesn't appear to be cooling off any time soon.

2. Bam Adebayo dominates the paint

When the Raptors defeated the Heat in triple-overtime last week, they were able to play a lot of small-ball without being overpowered by Adebayo. He finished that contest with a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds, but his offensive output was limited against a smaller Raptors lineup.

That was far from the case in this one, as Adebayo was out for revenge. He was Miami's best player on the floor in the first half, going for 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.

He continued to assert himself into the paint, scoring with ease. Adebayo finished the game with a season-high 32 points in a double-double with 11 rebounds. He also added two assists, two steals and one block to the box score while shooting an efficient 13-for-17 from the field.

IN BAM WE TRUST pic.twitter.com/XnSLv6cZMM
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 2, 2022

3. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam maintain the course

VanVleet and Siakam have anchored this strong stretch of play by the Raptors and they kept rolling against the Heat.

VanVleet continued to put up All-Star-calibre numbers, filling the box score with 21 points, six assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block. He also came up with a massive strip-steal on a Jimmy Butler 3-point attempt on one of the final possessions of the game to help seal the outcome.

As for Siakam, it was another monster double-double for the Raptors' star. Siakam finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals, finding different ways to impact the game despite having a slow shooting night.

This dynamic duo has been nothing short of incredible for the Raptors as of late.

4. Precious Achiuwa makes an impact off the bench

Achiuwa was named to the Rising Stars Challenge just moments before this contest and the second-year big man proved exactly why in this one. The Raptors aren't used to getting much production from their bench, but Achiuwa made sure to give the starters some help.

Toronto was getting torched inside by Adebayo so head coach Nick Nurse elected to give Achiuwa an uptick in minutes to provide some physicality. He did exactly that, bringing the energy on both ends of the floor with a few strong defensive plays, a couple of timely buckets and a big putback.

Let me finish that for ya - @PreciousAchiuwa pic.twitter.com/pwm4aeYyYx
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 2, 2022

Achiuwa gave the Raptors 19 very valuable minutes off the bench, going for 12 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

5. Planning for Kyle Lowry's return to Toronto

For the third time this season and the second time in a matter of days, Lowry was unable to suit up against his former team due to personal reasons. However, with a nearly empty Scotiabank Arena, it would not have been the return the greatest player in franchise history deserves.

The Raptors do have one more meeting against the Heat this season, and luckily, it falls in Toronto on April 3rd. The Raptors promoted Lowry's return with a hype video at the end of the first quarter. Enjoy:

Save the date. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/MpiX7mJNNh
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 2, 2022

6. Drake is in the building

Even though fans are still not permitted to attend Raptors games at Scotiabank Arena, the team's Global Ambassador was in the building. Drake was seen in the stands with team president Masai Ujiri taking in some Raptors basketball in Toronto for the first time in a while. It's always worth noting when The Boy is in the house.