Miami Heat Head North To Face Reeling Raptors
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MIAMI (AP) -- All-Star Kyle Lowry went on a profanity-laced tirade after the Toronto Raptors' latest loss, berating the team for getting off to a listless start against the defending champion.
Losers of nine of 10, the Raptors shouldn't need any extra motivation against a Miami Heat team that's had their number over the last five years.
Slumping Toronto tries to avoid a 17th straight defeat to the Heat when it opens a home-heavy portion of the schedule Friday night.
Despite scuffling, the Raptors (38-26) are still in good shape to make the postseason with a 10 1/2-game lead over Boston in the Atlantic Division. However, they haven't been performing at all like a playoff team of late.
Toronto is starting to come back around offensively, averaging 106.2 points in the last five games after scoring 90.4 in the previous five, but it's now started to lag defensively. The club has allowed averages of 112.0 points and 49.4 percent shooting in losing four straight.
The Raptors were doomed by a lackluster first half in San Antonio on Tuesday, trailing by 20 at halftime in a 117-107 loss.
"We're playing the defending champs and we should have been excited to play against them," said Lowry, who had 32 points in his third game after missing the previous three because of nagging injuries and fatigue. " ... We need to play, we don't need a kick in our (behind). We've literally been getting our (behind) kicked, so we shouldn't need that type of first half. We should go and do it."
If there's any silver lining to this disastrous stretch, it's that only two of the Raptors' last 10 games have been at home, and those were losses to two of the league's best teams in Golden State and Cleveland. They'll play seven of the next 10 at Air Canada Centre, though the stretch begins against a team they haven't defeated since Chris Bosh was still in a Raptors uniform.
Toronto's 16 consecutive losses to the Heat since a 111-103 win Jan. 27, 2010 give the franchise its longest skid to one opponent. The Heat can match their longest winning streak over a team, established from April 8, 1993-March 11, 1997 against Milwaukee, with one more victory.
In the only matchup this season, the Heat overcame DeMar DeRozan's 30 points for a 107-102 home win Nov. 2.
Although Miami (29-35) is a shell of the club it was for most of its dominance over Toronto with LeBron James gone and Bosh out for the season with blood clots, Dwyane Wade is suddenly playing like his old self as the Heat pursue one of the Eastern Conference's last playoff spots.
Wade has scored 28, 34 and 28 while shooting 33 of 66 in the last three games after sitting out last Friday's 99-97 loss at Washington due to a sore right hip. Those are three of his 10 highest-scoring games of the season.
He had 19 points, a season-high 11 rebounds and seven assists against the Raptors in November.
The Heat will have Hassan Whiteside back after he served a one-game suspension for elbowing Boston's Kelly Olynyk on Monday. Chris Andersen stepped up in Whiteside's place Wednesday, matching a career high with 18 points and setting a season high with 14 rebounds in a 104-98 win over Brooklyn.
Erik Spoelstra praised Andersen for his effort even though he is dealing with a number of injuries and was uncertain to play.
"That's what it's about right now in that locker room," Spoelstra said. "Guys are fighting for each other. They're playing with pain for each other ... not for themselves, but for the next guy. You love to see that."
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