|
 Backed by double-doubles from guard Dwyane Wade and forward Chris
Bosh, the Heat won their 16th consecutive meeting with the Raptors,
prevailing 107-102 Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Toronto hasn't won in Miami since Nov. 19, 2008.
In their first season since LeBron James departed for the Cleveland
Cavaliers, the Heat are off to a 3-0 start. It is the Heat's first
3-0 start since 2011-12, the season Miami won its second NBA title.
McRoberts, a free agent acquisition who was signed to bolster the
Heat's frontcourt, created a stir on Twitter when he was seen
ripping his shirt in frustration. He managed just two points and one
rebound in eight minutes.
"He's a highly competitive player," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said
of McRoberts, who made his home debut with the franchise. "He's very
normal (off the court). But in between the lines, he is Type-A
aggressive, and you need that to be successful in our organization.
"(Ripping stuff up) is not the first time that's happened within our
group."
 Wade did his damage in a more meaningful way, helping the Heat beat
Toronto (2-1) to emerge as the only unbeaten team in the Eastern
Conference.
The Heat's shooting guard had 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven
assists. He also twice blocked shots by Toronto's 7-foot center,
Jonas Valanciunas, and banked in a 3-pointer.
"I called it long," Wade said of the 3-pointer. "I didn't say it was
going in. I said: 'It's long,' but I'm glad it went in."
Raptors coach Dwane Casey said Wade hurt his team often, especially
with his game-high four offensive rebounds.
"We would play 24 seconds of good defense and then give up an
offensive board," Casey said. "It's a momentum-killer -- it breaks
your back.
"It's not like it was one of their big guys getting the rebound --
it was (Wade). The defensive end is from start to finish. We have to
guard for 24 seconds and then get the rebound."
Wade's performance was a bit surprising given how poorly he shot the
ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, when he made
just four of 18.
However, Wade, 32, came out hot on Sunday, making four of four in
the first quarter and finishing seven of 11.
"He looked quicker tonight than he did last night," Spoelstra said.
That Wade played at all is news. Last season, he played back-to-back
nights just three times in 15 opportunities. Sunday was his first
chance to play a back-to-back this season, and he was obviously up
to the task.
Bosh, a former Toronto first-round pick who still leads the Raptors
franchise in career scoring, continued his hot start for Miami. The
6-foot-11 veteran had 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. He
had six double-doubles last season and has two already this season.
[to top of second column] |
Miami also got 18 points from forward Luol Deng.
Toronto, which never led after the midway point of the first
quarter, was powered by shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who had a
game-high 30 points. Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry added 22 points,
and Valanciunas had 14 points and eight rebounds.
DeRozan's 3-pointer with 5:16 left in the game cut Miami's lead to
98-93. Miami forward Shawne Williams (16 points) hit a left-corner
3-pointer to help the Heat beat back the Raptors. The Raptors never
again got closer than four points, and that was in the final
seconds.
Miami held a 31-26 advantage after the first quarter. DeRozan kept
Toronto in the game early with 13 points in the period.
Miami extended its lead to 64-54 at halftime, and the teams played
to a standstill in the third quarter, giving Miami an 87-77 lead.
The Heat outrebounded Toronto 43-28. The Raptors also struggled at
the foul line, making just 24 of 39 (61.5 percent). Of the 15
misses, 11 came in the first half.
"They outhustled us, and we missed a lot of free throws," Lowry
said. "We didn't play our game."
DeRozan, who made 11 of 22 from the floor and seven of 12 from the
line, said he barely recognized his team.
"That wasn't us," he said. "We didn't play well at all, but we'll
get two more shots at (Miami). This was a good test."
NOTES: Raptors F Amir Johnson, who injured his foot Saturday against
the Orlando Magic, missed the Heat game. He was replaced in the
starting lineup by F Patrick Patterson, who finished scoreless in 15
minutes. ... Heat F Chris "Birdman" Andersen (bruised ribs) missed
the game. ... F Danny Granger (hamstring) has yet to make his Heat
debut. ... Heat F Udonis Haslem (quadriceps) has yet to play this
season. ... Miami did not offer PG Norris Cole a contract extension
before Friday's deadline. If the Heat offer him a $3 million
qualifying offer by July 1, he will become a restricted free agent
after the season. ... Next up for Miami is a Tuesday home game
against the Houston Rockets. ... Toronto returns home to play the
Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
