National Basketball Association

Heat's key vs. Raptors: Slow DeRozan

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:29 p.m. ET

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TORONTO -- The Miami Heat are learning to cope without Dwyane Wade this season.

They also will have to learn how to cope with the Toronto Raptors' hot-scoring DeMar DeRozan on Friday when the teams meet for the first time since the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Heat had Wade then, but he left in the offseason to play for the Chicago Bulls.

The Raptors, meanwhile, retained DeRozan, and the shooting guard has scored at least 30 points in each of his first four games this season.

He scored 40 points for the second time this season Wednesday when the Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards 113-103 at the Verizon Center. He also hit his only 3-pointer of the season in that game.

"He gets to the line, so that kind of makes up for him not shooting (3-pointers) because he'll probably shoot double-digit free throws," Heat guard Tyler Johnson said. "It's definitely rare. I think D-Wade was able to do something similar to that where he would maybe shoot one or two 3s a game but still put up 30."

DeRozan is averaging 36.3 points on 55.4 percent shooting this season.

"The team is built around him," said former Raptors forward James Johnson, now with the Heat. "I'm not taking anything away from DeMar. He's a great player. He has 190 moves in his bag, but the team plays around him and they play around him well."

The Raptors (3-1) defeated the Heat in seven games in the playoff series in May. Despite dealing with a thumb injury, DeRozan averaged 22.1 points while shooting 38.8 percent in the series.

"He is playing at another level right now," said Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who took three stitches over his right eye in the first half Wednesday. "He's making my life a lot easier and everyone on our team's life a lot easier. He's saving possessions, he's creating offense."

DeRozan said, "I'm just a student of the game. I work extremely hard in the summer, extremely hard. I try to put everything together, be a student of the game while working, always feeling like I'm new to the game so I can soak up as much as possible. I try to release that when I get on the court."

Meanwhile, the Heat (2-2) are trying to establish a go-to player when the game is on the line now that Wade is gone.

"We knew where the ball was going (last year). This year, it's whatever matchup we can exploit," said Johnson, who scored nine points in the final five minutes of regulation time and in overtime when the Heat defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-96 Tuesday.

"What we do have right now is a lot of guys that can attack and make plays," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "The game may dictate how that's played out in the fourth quarter. Those things you have to go through it. You can plan and talk as much as we do behind the scenes, but you have to go through it ultimately, and the team will let you know."