Raptors Rally To Finally Beat Bosh, Top Heat 108-94
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MIAMI (AP) — For the first time, the Toronto Raptors know what getting a win over Chris Bosh feels like.
DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points, Kyle Lowry added 21 and the Raptors erased an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Miami Heat 108-94 on Friday night.
Luis Scola scored 20, Terrence Ross finished with 17 and James Johnson added 13 for the Raptors, who outscored Miami 58-39 after halftime.
The Heat had been 12-0 when facing Toronto with Bosh in the lineup against his former team, and more importantly were denied what would have been their first four-game winning streak since the 2014 playoffs. Each of Miami's last seven three-game win streaks has now been followed by a loss.
Dwyane Wade scored 21 points, Gerald Green had 20 and Goran Dragic scored 18 for the Heat. Hassan Whiteside had 13 rebounds and Bosh finished with 11 points.
The Raptors improved to 17-3 when holding teams under 105 points, and they did that Friday with ease. They're 0-8 when opponents reach that total.
Up five at the half, Miami made its first four shots of the third quarter to build a 64-53 lead.
The cushion didn't last long.
The Raptors made 13 of their next 16 shots — Whiteside blocked two of the three misses in that stretch — and turned the game around with 26-8 run that took just less than 9 minutes. Ross' 3-pointer late in the third capped the flurry, putting Toronto up 79-72.
Miami scored to get within three points or less on six separate occasions after that, including Wade's layup with 6:12 left that cut it to 90-89. But Toronto never got caught, and Lowry got the roll on a layup with 2:25 left to put the Raptors up 10 and wrap up the win.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Lowry was 3 for 17 from 3-point range on Thursday; he was 1 for 4 from beyond the arc Friday. ... DeRozan got hit in the face by Johnson as they went for the same rebound in the third quarter. DeRozan got it, and made a jumper moments later as part of Toronto's big run. ... The Raptors were again without Jonas Valanciunas (left hand) and DeMarre Carroll (right knee).
Heat: Wade continued polishing his resume, with his first point of the second half moving him past Bob Lanier (19,248) for 46th on the NBA's career scoring list. He started this season 54th. ... Dragic's 11-point first quarter was not only a season-best, it topped his 10-point total from his last five opening quarters combined. ... Fours were wild: Green had a four-point play in the second quarter, breaking a 44-44 tie.
BIG THIRD
Toronto shot 72 percent in the third quarter, its third-best showing in any quarter this season. It was also a season-worst for the Heat, who hadn't allowed anyone to shoot better than 67 percent in any quarter coming into Friday.
COLLEGE NIGHT
Plenty of college teams just happened to be in the stands Friday night. The football teams from Western Kentucky and South Florida — they'll meet Monday in the Miami Beach Bowl, an oddly named game since it isn't played anywhere near Miami Beach — were on the floor in the first half for a shooting contest. And the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team from upstate New York was also at the game, in town for a weekend tournament.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Sacramento on Sunday.
Heat: Host Portland on Sunday.
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