Raptors open preseason against revamped Heat in Quebec City

QUEBEC CITY — The Toronto Raptors open their 2026-2027 preseason schedule against a new-look Miami Heat in Quebec City on Tuesday night.

The game is part of the NBA Canada Series, a tradition since 2012 that brings regular-season or preseason games to Canadian cities outside Toronto. Previous hosts have included Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, but this will be the first held in Centre Vidéotron.

The Heat have been significantly remade over the summer, adding stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis Jr.

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"While preseason games are often about getting organized and making those final roster decisions, we can hope to get a bit of a look at Kawhi, Scottie, Giannis and Bam, a harbinger of what could be an excellent matchup throughout the season," according to reporting notes from Yahoo Sports.

Miami's size is expected to be a major factor. Their frontcourt includes a near-seven-foot Nick Richards and Giannis, 6'10" Nikola Jovic, and Bam Adebayo and Bobby Portis Jr. who are both 6′ 9" and over 250 pounds.

"This will be advantageous on both ends of the court, as defensively their size and physicality will be an asset rebounding, but they can also play bully-ball at the other end of the court," the notes state.

The other major change to their roster, adding a pair of excellent veteran shooters in Hardaway Jr. and Thompson, means that if anyone gets jammed up in the paint, there will be one or both of them set from outside the arc and ready to shoot.

Toronto won't have the size advantage, but can rely on the defensive prowess of Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, and Collin Murray-Boyles. While undersized, their wingspans and athleticism allow all of them to guard guys bigger than them.

"Kawhi has already proven he can make life difficult for Giannis, and CMB seems to love to play as an undersized center," the notes say.

The wing defence will need to be on a string tonight to shut down the options outside of the paint. Ja'Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley will all have to be on top of closeouts and shut down shooting opportunities.

"More likely than not, this game will come down to the bench though," according to the notes. Both teams will be interested in seeing what the last few guys on the roster can do.

Newly-extended Jamal Shead, rookie Allen Graves, and guys like Tyreke Key, Chucky Hepburn, and Alijah Martin could all see solid minutes. "They will have to be the difference makers if they want to win the game."

"Luckily for Toronto, they've all proven to be solid defenders, with the right mindset to want to go out and win games," the notes add. "Especially in a situation like this where they're auditioning for minutes during the regular season."

Toronto's availability is slightly unclear, as Jamison Battle, Kyle Anderson, and Allen Graves sat out a recent open scrimmage due to various ailments. For Miami, the only two clear missing players will be Keshad Johnson and Dru Smith, sidelined by a right hamstring strain and a calf strain, respectively.

The projected starting lineups have Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley for Toronto. Miami is expected to start Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo.

With files from Yahoo Sports