Heat Open 2026 NBA Preseason With 129-106 Win Over Raptors in Quebec City

Giannis Antetokounmpo impressed in his Miami debut and the Heat's bench dominated as Miami opened the 2026 NBA preseason with a 129-106 win over Toronto in Quebec City.

The Miami Heat opened the 2026 NBA preseason with a 129-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, offering a first look at a dramatically reshaped Miami roster.

Miami missed the playoffs last season for the first time in seven years and has not won a playoff series in three seasons despite the decade's ninth-best record. The front office responded by adding Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. among six newcomers, and the report noted Antetokounmpo has promised an NBA title to the Heat.

Coach Erik Spoelstra opened with Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Thompson, Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins, a group that figures to start the regular season. Antetokounmpo produced five points on 2-for-2 shooting and four assists in the first seven minutes, with Miami ahead 20-12 when the starters left and 41-22 after one quarter. The first unit returned to begin the second period, and the Heat carried a 21-point lead into halftime. Antetokounmpo finished with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting and seven assists, while Wiggins made 4 of 6 three-pointers.

Miami's reserves decided the game. The Heat bench outscored Toronto's 95-57 and posted a cumulative plus-18. Hardaway and Pelle Larsson combined for 27 points on 7-for-7 shooting, and Nikola Jovic delivered a strong overall performance. Simone Fonteccchio, Jovic, Larsson, Hardaway and Portis project as Spoelstra's primary second unit.

"He makes great plays," Spoelstra said of Antetokounmpo's first game with the club, noting their teams had met three times in the playoffs and that seeing him daily in practice shows "how brilliant a playmaker he can be." Spoelstra added that the forward's passing "reminds all of us of a great big point guard that played for Pat back in the '80s," referring to Pat Riley, who attended practice all week.

Perimeter shooting remains a question. Miami ranked 15th in made threes (13.7 per game) and attempts (37.8) and 11th in accuracy (36.1%) last season, then lost Norman Powell, Tyler Herro and Kasparas Jakučionis, who shot a team-best 42.3% on 1.2 makes per game. Thompson still hit three threes per game at 38% last season, and Hardaway shot 40% on seven attempts per game. Against Toronto, Miami shot 49% from the field and 14 of 40 (35%) from deep, with Hardaway and Wiggins accounting for seven of the makes.

Larsson, who took a major step last season and signed a four-year, $60 million contract this summer, appears set as the primary backup guard behind Mitchell and posted a 24% usage rate against the Raptors. According to the report, Larsson and Tre Donaldson have been the young standouts of Miami's camp.

Roster math complicates Miami's remaining decisions. The Heat have 21 players in camp — 14 on standard contracts and three on two-way deals — and are expected to open the season with an open roster spot, sitting $2.5 million below the first apron, where they are hard-capped. Spoelstra must also solve spacing issues between Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, who both work best in the paint.

Toronto, coming off its first playoff appearance in four seasons after finishing sixth in the East, had a quiet offseason apart from the Kawhi Leonard trade. Coach Darko Rajakovic must manage the 35-year-old Leonard's minutes and integrate him with teammates, plus settle who plays behind Collin Murray-Boyles in the frontcourt. The Raptors also carry 21 players in camp, with 14 on standard deals, all three two-way slots filled and every standard contract guaranteed, leaving them $938,598 below the first-apron hard cap and their 15-man roster essentially set. Most of their six newcomers are end-of-bench pieces.