Recap: Toronto vs. Miami
Sports Network | November 16, 2008
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh scored a team-high 27 points and had seven rebounds, and Jermaine O'Neal had 11 points and 18 boards as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Miami Heat, 107-96, at Air Canada Centre.
Will Solomon chipped in with 15 points and a career-high 11 assists, while Andrea Bargnani had 12 points for the Raptors, who snapped a brief two-game losing skid. Toronto has won five straight over Miami.
Dwyane Wade had a game-high 29 points and added eight assists, and rookie Michael Beasley had 13 points and six boards for the Heat, who have lost three of their last five.
With the Heat clinging to a 54-50 lead after one half, Toronto opened the third quarter with a 9-4 run and, after a layup by O'Neal, had a four-point advantage. However, Miami would quickly re-tie the game again and both teams would go back-and-forth, trading the lead for the rest of the period with the Raptors holding a slim 80-78 lead after three.
In the fourth, the hosts extended the lead, going on a 16-1 run to start the quarter and a three by Solomon stretched the lead to 96-81 with 4:52 remaining. But Miami wouldn't go quietly. Led by Wade, who scored six straight as part of a 10-0 run, the Heat cut the deficit to 96-91 with 1:36 left. Anthony Parker then dropped two free throws to put the Raptors up by seven 12 ticks later. A dunk by Bosh followed by a layup from O'Neal gave Toronto a 102-94 lead with 44 seconds to go. The hosts would make their foul shots in the final seconds to clinch the victory.
With the Raptors holding a 29-27 lead after one quarter, the Heat went ahead by one point after a Daequan Cook three-pointer 2:31 into the second. Bosh then made one of two from the free throw line to tie things at 34-34 about a minute later.
Both teams then took turns exchanging the lead for the next several minutes, but six straight points by Wade and a three by Cook, gave the Heat a 54-48 edge in the final seconds of the first half. A Bargnani layup made it a 54-50 game in favor of Miami heading into the intermission.
Miami visits Washington on Tuesday night, while Toronto plays at Orlando...Cook finished with 16 points...There were 23 lead changes in the game.
