Heat Check: Miami slides back in playoff race after falling to Raptors
The return of Hassan Whiteside from a one-game suspension Friday did little to stop the host Toronto Raptors from beating the Miami Heat 102-92.
The Heat returned to as close to full health as they have been in recent memory but gave up too many points off of numerous turnovers -- many of which were unforced -- and Toronto displayed remarkable accuracy from long range to pull away in the second half.
The Raptors, losers of nine of their past 10 games, controlled the majority of the game despite the absence of starting center Jonas Valanciunas, who was out for the game because of the birth of his son. Their starting backcourt duo of All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan gave Miami fits with their shooting and aggressive play.
Both teams shot poorly to start the game, each shooting worse than 40 percent in the first quarter. After missing their first nine 3-point shots, the Heat proceeded to go on an 11-2 run that stretched through the start of the second quarter but soon wilted under constant defensive pressure.
They had trouble holding the ball while pulling down rebounds and their weak passes were often picked off. To make matters worse, they had trouble finishing at the rim and were unable to contain the Raptors when they got hot from the field in the second half.
Whiteside's impact was felt primarily on the boards with 12 rebounds, but he was not a focal point of the offense, with just nine points on 4-of-6 shooting to go along with three blocks. Dwyane Wade (25 points, four assists, five turnovers) and Goran Dragic (18 points, five assists) led the team in scoring, with Michael Beasley (11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds) the only other Heat player to reach double digits.
The Raptors opened up their biggest lead of the night with a 8-1 run near the end of the third quarter. They continued to knock down 3-pointers to boost their lead to more then 20 points, and the game appeared headed to a blowout victory. Led by Wade down the stretch, Miami cut the lead in half in a flurry of points, but it was too little, too late.
With the Charlotte Hornets beating the Chicago Bulls, the Heat fall back to the ninth spot in the East.
THE TURNING POINT
Toronto was in control of the game when they knocked down their eighth 3-pointer of the game to boost their lead to 14 points with two minutes left in second quarter.
THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
Miami had no answers for Lowry and DeRozen in the second half. Lowry showed off his versatility with 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and was a nightmare for Miami's perimeter defenders as he drained basket after basket, several of them heavily contested. DeRozan shot poorly from the field with nine missed shots, but his aggressiveness paid off by going 12-13 from the free throw line to finish with 18 points.
STAT OF THE GAME
Miami's streak of 16 consecutive victories against Toronto came to an end.
WHAT'S NEXT
Miami hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.
