National Basketball Association
Toronto 107, Miami 104
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, April 11, 2015
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials:
#76 Steven Anderson, #16 David Guthrie, #19 James Capers
Attendance:
19689
By The Sports Xchange
MIAMI -- Guards DeMar DeRozan and Lou Williams combined for 53 points to help the Toronto Raptors take down the Miami Heat 107-104 at AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday night.
While Toronto was clinching home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Heat's chance of making the postseason have just about vanished.
Despite not being mathematically eliminated, the odds are stacked against Miami extending its season beyond next week.
The Heat (35-45) slipped to 2 1/2 games out of the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference. The four-time defending conference champion must win its remaining two games while the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, who are tied for seventh and eighth in the East, must lose their remaining three games.
The Raptors (48-32) tied franchise records for road wins (22) and overall wins in a season while earning their first victory at AmericanAirlines Arena since Nov. 19, 2008. The win also snapped a 10-game losing streak in Miami.
Starting center Jonas Valanciunas missed the entire fourth quarter for the Raptors after fouling out with 40.1 seconds remaining in the third quarter. He finished with four points and three rebounds in less than 10 minutes of action.
Williams scorched the Heat off the bench with 20 of his 29 points in the first half, including a 17-point second quarter. He was 9-for-18 from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point range and hit all seven of his free throws in 29 minutes.
DeRozan, who left momentarily to get his right hip/leg stretched out, returned to finish with 24 points.
Point guard Kyle Lowry struggled with his shooting, going 3-for-14 from the field for 12 points and finished with just one assist. But he hit clutch free throws late.
Hassan Whiteside presented major challenges for Valanciunas and was the primary contributor to his early exit. The Heat center finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds and notched a double-double by halftime.
Miami's starting backcourt of Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic combined for 52 points for the Heat.
Wade scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half. Dragic sparked the Heat's offense early. The point guard scored 12 of his 22 points in the first quarter.
The Raptors pay the Celtics a visit on Tuesday while the Heat will host the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
NOTES: Raptors F/C Amir Johnson missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained right ankle. Coach Dwane Casey said, "It's going to be a few days to see where his ankle is at." ... Heat F Henry Walker returned after missing Thursday's game against the Bulls. He practiced Friday and took a cortisone shot. ... Raptors G Kyle Lowry returned to the lineup in Friday's win over the Orlando Magic, after missing seven games due to back spasms. Casey said he would cut Lowry's minutes on Saturday after he played 33 minutes on Friday. ... The Raptors entered Saturday 9-8 on the second game of back-to-backs this season.
Top Game Performances
| Toronto |
|
Miami |
|
Louis Williams 29 |
Scoring |
Dwyane Wade 30 |
|
Patrick Patterson 3 |
Assists |
Goran Dragic 5 |
|
Tyler Hansbrough 10 |
Rebounds |
Hassan Whiteside 18 |
|
DeMar DeRozan 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Dwyane Wade 11 |
|
DeMar DeRozan 4 |
Steals |
Mario Chalmers 2 |
|
Chuck Hayes 1 |
Blocks |
Hassan Whiteside 6 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Toronto
|
107 |
42.2 |
9-26 |
28-37 |
12 |
47 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
| Miami
|
104 |
45.7 |
6-20 |
24-44 |
14 |
47 |
8 |
3 |
7 |
Upcoming Games
-
Miami will play their next game at home against Orlando. The Heat have a W/L % of .306 after a win and .545 after a loss.
-
Toronto will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Raptors have a W/L % of .646 after a win and .531 after a loss.
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