Tip-off: Thursday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Miami -4.0, Total: 203.0

The Heat will be looking to get back to .500 with a home victory over the Raptors on Thursday.

The Raptors are coming off of an impressive 122-120 overtime victory over the Bulls on Tuesday, and Toronto has now won three straight games and four of its past five. The Raptors trailed by double digits for most of that game against the Bulls, but they were able to send it to overtime and pull it out. The Heat, meanwhile, have arguably been the best team in basketball since falling to 13-30 on the season. They are 22-6 in their past 28 games and should be looking at a spot in the postseason. Miami most recently faced Phoenix on Tuesday and won that game 112-97 as an 11.5-point favorite. The Heat have covered in 12 of their past 15 games, and they’re going up against a Toronto team that they beat 104-89 as six-point home favorites on Mar. 11. The Raptors did, however, win-and-cover when the teams met in Toronto on Nov. 4, and Toronto will be confident in the fact that the team is an impressive 12-4 ATS after two or more consecutive Overs this season. There are also some fascinating trends that favor the Heat, though. Miami is 17-5 ATS in the second half of the season this year, and the team is also 19-9 ATS after a blowout win by 15 points or more over the past two seasons. PF Serge Ibaka (Suspension) is not allowed to play in this game for Toronto, and PG Kyle Lowry (Wrist) is not yet back for the Raptors. The Heat, meanwhile, remain without SG Dion Waiters (Ankle). C Hassan Whiteside (Hand) is, however, likely to play after getting banged up last game.

The Raptors are coming off of a tough victory over the Bulls and SG DeMar DeRozan (27.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG) willed his team to a win in that one. DeRozan was 17-for-38 from the floor and had 42 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, one block and a steal in 43 minutes of action. DeRozan was shooting the ball a lot, but he was converting. He’ll likely need to play another game like that on Thursday, as he won’t have the help of both Lowry or Ibaka in this one. With that being the case, DeRozan will need some help from guys like C Jonas Valanciunas (12.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG), PG Cory Joseph (9.2 PPG, 3.2 APG) and SF DeMarre Carroll (9.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG) to rise to the occasion here. Valanciunas will need to hold his own in his matchup with Whiteside, and he can’t afford to be a defensively liability. If he is then he will be benched fast, as has been the case often this season. Joseph will also need to just be solid on both ends, as Toronto will get blown out if he is torched by Dragic in this one. Joseph did have 19 points against Chicago, and he should be able to play well offensively in this one. Carroll, meanwhile, has been inconsistent for the Raptors all season. If he can hit some threes then it’d be big for Toronto on Thursday, but he’ll be even more important on the defensive end.

The Heat had a bit of a scare with C Hassan Whiteside (16.8 PPG, 14.2 RPG, 2.1 BPG) injuring his hand last game, but he is expected to be ready to go in this one. That is big news for Miami, as Whiteside has performed at an All-NBA level this season. He has been even better as of late, though. Over the past five games, Whiteside has averaged a ridiculous 21.8 PPG, 15.2 RPG and 2.2 BPG. His athleticism will present a real challenge for Valanciunas on Thursday, so it should be expected that Whiteside stays hot. PG Goran Dragic (20.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG) will also need to play well for Miami in this one. Over the past four games, Dragic is averaging 21.3 PPG but he is shooting just 42.9% from the floor. He’ll need to be a bit better than that on Thursday, but he should be able to turn it around. He is a lot faster than Cory Joseph, so that should allow him to get to the basket for a few easy ones. SG Tyler Johnson (13.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG) could also have a nice game in this one. He is averaging 18.0 PPG over his past three games, and he is seeing a bit of a bigger role with Waiters out.