Thursday, March 20, 2008
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Heat Not Hot in 96-54 Loss to Raptors

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[March 20, 2008]  TORONTO (AP) -- In a season of misery, the Miami Heat set a new low. Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker each scored 14 points and the Toronto Raptors held Miami to the third-lowest point total in the shot-clock era, beating the Heat 96-54 on Wednesday night.

"I feel real bad for (the players) that they couldn't make a few shots and just get out of the record books but that's the way it goes," Heat coach Pat Riley said.

Miami was just five points off the NBA record-low since the shot clock was introduced in the 1954-55 season, Chicago's 49-point effort against the Heat in April 1999.

"We've had four or five games like this this year and when it goes, it just absolutely goes," Riley said.

The Heat set franchise lows for points in a game and in a half (26), and shot a franchise-worst 20-for-78 (.256).

"It was very tough," said guard Chris Quinn, who played a career-high 48 minutes. "It was pretty embarrassing to come out and lose like that."

Toronto's Chris Bosh had eight points and eight rebounds in his return after missing 10 games with a sore right knee.

"I just wanted to play defense," Bosh said. "I wasn't worried about offense tonight. Once I get in shape it will come a little easier."

The Raptors went 2-8 without Bosh, including 0-5 on a just-concluded West Coast trip.

Jose Calderon had 10 points and 10 assists, and Rasho Nesterovic scored 12 points to help the Raptors snap a season-high five-game losing streak. The 42-point margin of victory was the largest in franchise history, beating Toronto's previous mark of 39.

"The worse it got, the more heart we lost," Riley said. "Every time a shot rimmed out, we got more and more frustrated. Like the good team they are, they had no mercy, they just put us away. We'll have our day again. I don't know when, but we will have our day again."

The Raptors would have won by four points even if they didn't score in the second half, but that didn't mean Bosh felt bad for the lowly Heat.

"You don't get anywhere in this world by having sympathy, especially not in the NBA," Bosh said.

Kris Humphries' basket late in the fourth gave Toronto its biggest advantage at 96-53.

Quinn had 14 points and Ricky Davis added 12 for the Heat, who have the NBA's worst record at 12-55. Miami, which tied Utah's total in an NBA finals game in June 1988, eclipsed the league's previous season low of 59 set by New York at Boston on Nov. 29.

Miami snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 112-106 victory at Milwaukee on Monday, but never looked likely to build on that success. Trailing 29-16 after the first quarter, the Heat shot 4-for-18 in the second and scored just 10 points to fall behind 58-26 at the half.

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"We left everything in Milwaukee," Riley said. "We just didn't have enough firepower, enough manpower."

Forward Shawn Marion (sore back) sat for the third time in four games, while guard Jason Williams (jammed right thumb) did not play, leaving the injury-riddled Heat with just seven players.

Miami is without guard Marcus Banks (right hamstring), forward Udonis Haslem (left ankle), forward Alexander Johnson (right knee), Alonzo Mourning (right knee), guard Dwayne Wade (left knee) and forward Dorell Wright (left knee).

It was a tough night for Heat rookie Daequan Cook, who scored eight points on 3-for-19 shooting.

"This is a learning process right now," Cook said. "It's just about getting better from here on out."

Toronto rookie Jamario Moon was at his athletic best with two spectacular putback slams in the first and an alley-oop from Parker in the second. Moon finished with nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Bargnani played with a face-guard after taking an elbow to the nose from Moon in Monday's loss at Utah.

Notes: Denver has the second-lowest scoring total with 53 against Detroit in Nov. 2002. ... The Heat confirmed that Haslem will undergo season-ending surgery Friday to repair a bone spur in his left ankle. ... Miami has won consecutive games just once all season, posting back-to-back road wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns on Dec. 9 and 10. ... Toronto is 3-0 against Miami this season. The teams meet again April 14 at Toronto.

[Associated Press; By BRETT MARTEL]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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