The Miami Heat hit the road and take on the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night inside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. They tip it off at 7:30 pm. Both teams have gotten out to uneven starts this season. 

Bookmaker has installed Toronto as a slim -3 point favorite in this clash. 

The Heat (11-9) have had some major issues this season especially on the defensive side of the floor as they give up way too many points. The last time they stepped out on the floor they got toasted by the Indiana Pacers who scored 144 against them in a 144-129 setback. 

If Miami puts forth that kind of effort they will get run out of the building against the Raptors. They need to slow down the tempo and get solid and decent spacing out on the floor. To do that, look for them to get the guards into the mix early and often. 

They are led on offense by brilliant point guard Tyler Herro who averages close to 22 a game but will not travel to Toronto because he is dealing with an ankle injury. Miami will have to rely on other players to pick up the offensive slack, which means veteran forward Jimmy Butler will get some looks at the basket and he will also be looking to create his own shot in the absence of Herro.

Butler is averaging 22.4 a game for the Heat, who shoot 53% from the floor. 

The Raptors (9-110 have had a rough start to the season too, having dropped three of four overall and they can really use a nice win over a decent team. If they can put forth the type of effort against Miami, like they did against the Phoenix Suns, they have a solid chance at winning this game outright. 

Offensively they were very stale and stagnant against the New York Knicks in a 119-106 setback that saw them connect on just 6-of-32 from beyond the arc. They must do a better job of knocking down those shots from three-point land.

Good teams take advantage of clean looks and if the Raptors can not cash in from that spot they will be in trouble. They also need to get the ball into the hands of power forward Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 20 a game and also is hauling down seven rebounds per contest.

Toronto should be able to clamp down on defense in the absence of Herro, but still need to slow down Butler and not allow other players to defeat them. 

Toronto is 2-3 in their last five games and 2-2 in their last five games against the number. They are also 4-4 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in two of their last five games and six out of their last 11 games at home. Miami is 1-4 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 7-4 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in three out of their last five games.