Heat 90, Raptors 83
TORONTO -- Forward LeBron James scored 27 points as the Miami Heat won for the ninth game in a row with a 90-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
It was the 13th consecutive win for the Heat over the Raptors, who have not won against Miami since Jan. 27, 2010.
Guard Dwyane Wade added 22 points for the Heat, with forward Michael Beasley and guard Ray Allen chipping in with seven each.
Guard DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 25 points and forward Rudy Gay scored 21 points with 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost two in a row. Guard Kyle Lowry added 15 points while forward Tyler Hansbrough had eight points and 12 rebounds for Toronto.
The Heat (13-3) led by as many as 20 points during the third quarter but led by only eight entering the fourth. The Raptors (6-9) cut the lead to five on a 3-pointer by Lowry with 8:03 to play. After James missed a 3-point attempt, the Raptors came back to cut the lead to four on DeRozan's short jumper with 5:24 to play.
After DeRozan missed two free throws, Gay put in the rebound. But James hit a 3-pointer to take the lead back to five. When Heat forward-center Chris Bosh fouled out with 1:37 to play, Gay missed both free throws. The Heat took a seven-point lead on James' layup. Hansbrough made one of two free throws to cut the lead to five points in the last minute. James made two free throws with 19.8 seconds left to increase the lead to seven.
The Heat took a 14-point lead into the third quarter and Wade quickly took the lead to 18 points to take advantage of DeRozan's missed shot and a turnover by Lowry. The Heat led by 20 points when James hit a 3-pointer after the Raptors' fifth turnover of the third quarter with 8:25 still to play. The Raptors trimmed the lead to 78-70 after Hansbrough made two free throws to end the third quarter.
The Heat led 27-22 after the first quarter and extended the lead to 13 points with 7:34 to play in the second quarter when Wade made a fadeaway jump shot. The Raptors cut the lead to eight points twice before forward Michael Beasley scored seven of Miami's final nine points of the second quarter to give the Heat a 57-43 lead at the half. Wade led the Heat with 14 points at the half, while DeRozan and Gay had 14 each for the Raptors.
NOTES: Raptors F Quincy Acy (sprained right ankle) returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games. F Austin Daye and C Aaron Gray were the Raptors' inactive players. ... Former Raptors F Chris Bosh made his only appearance of the regular season at Air Canada Centre. Bosh remained home for Miami's previous visit to Toronto on Nov. 5, a 104-95 Heat win, after his wife gave birth to the couple's second child. ... G Roger Mason Jr. and C Greg Oden were inactive for the Heat. ... The teams have two meetings left this season, both in Miami -- Jan. 5 and March 31. ... The Heat will return home to play the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday and the Raptors host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
