Nunn scores 28 to guide Heat in win over Raptors

The Heat had four players unavailable Wednesday night against the Raptors. But Kendrick Nunn stepped up and saved the day with season highs in scoring and rebounding.

Jimmy Butler and Avery Bradley each missed their fifth straight game due to coronavirus protocol. Tyler Herro sat out his third consecutive game with neck spasms. And a shoulder injury sidelined Meyers Leonard for a fifth time. Despite all these absences, the Heat still knocked off Toronto, 111-102.

Nunn leads Heat in scoring

Entering the fourth quarter, Miami led Toronto 88-83. Just before that, Nunn nailed two triples and Kelly Olynyk scored eight points to give the Heat an edge. An OG Anunoby dunk kept the Raptors within striking distance to start the fourth quarter, but then their offense stalled.

Nunn went off for 28 points on 9-12 from the field, 4-6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. The Miami shooting guard also added eight boards and five assists. And he did it all while coming off of the bench.

K9 really came off the bench and had himself a night

28 Pts / 9-12 FG / 8 Rebs / 5 Asts / 1 Stl pic.twitter.com/YLaKHgqhRd

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 21, 2021

A total of six Heat players finished in double digits. Bam Adebayo recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, plus seven assists. The others in double figures were Olynyk, Goran Dragic, Duncan Robinson and Andre Iguodala. Dragic nailed consecutive threes to give the Heat a double-digit lead late.

For the Raptors, Fred VanVleet led the team with 24 points and dished nine assists. Pascal Siakam and Anunoby added 18 points each.

Kyle Lowry scored the first seven points of the game for Toronto, but finished with only eight. He did contribute 10 boards and seven assists.

A rematch awaits

The Heat improved to (6-7) with the win over Toronto (5-9). The two teams meet again Friday in Tampa.

Miami is trying to get back to .500 on the season with a win. Meanwhile, the Raptors will wrap up a five-game homestand. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Amalie Arena.