TORONTO - Saturday brought another gaudy statistical line from DeMar DeRozan, which has become commonplace for the Toronto Raptors this year. The points exceeded 30 points, the rebounds swelled to double digits, and he led his team in assists. It was an all-around marvel of a performance.
In his Raptors' 112-104 overtime win over the Miami Heat, however, it was his work on the other end that proved nearly as important as the offensive exploits. As Joe Johnson, who tormented the Raptors as a member of the Brooklyn Nets back in the 2014 playoffs, threatened to take over the game, DeRozan did just enough to slow him down.