LeBron James too hot for Toronto Raptors as Miami Heat hold on to a win - NBA Recap
Toronto Raptors did everything right tonight.
They did not allow the Miami Heat to dominate and were competitive for most of the night. They kept fighting when pushed back, but in the end it all proved insufficient as LeBron James turned it on and took his team to victory, 99 – 85.
By the end of the third frame, even when the game had slipped from them, the Raptors made a massive come back in the deciding quarter and again got neck to neck. Miami were cruising to a win, ahead by 15 points 85-70, with almost six minutes remaining in the game when Raptors rattled off a 12-0 spurt, capped by Jerryd Bayless’s mid range jumper to announce their comeback in the game.
It was then when James took over and scored four consecutive points, consisting of two free throws and a powerful jam, that once again put the Heat in a winning position.
Miami maintained their lead until the end and went on to win the game 95-89.
James marshalled the Heat with a game high 30 points on 10 for 17 from the floor and 9 boards. LeBron was equally impressive at the back end of the court, where he and his teammates often shut down Toronto’s offence completely.
"We stuck with our principles," James said. "And that's to defend."
The other two members of Miami’s “Big Three” were also on song. Dwyane Wade pounded 25 points on 9 for 12 from the charity stripe while Chris Bosh had 12 points, 8 boards and 4 assists.
Heat’s coach EriK Spoelstra seemed satisfied with the overall performance but added, there is still a room for improvement.
"Our energy was good, Spoelstra said. "Even throughout the game, I didn't have a problem with the energy. ... It was more of a real concentration and a discipline toward the end of the (shot) clock. And that's something we'll have to continue to get better at."
Demar DeRozan led the Raptors with 25 points on 9 for 11 from the free throw line while Bayless and the reserve Linas Kleiza recorded 17 points each.
"Next time we've got to come out and make the plays and close," Bayless said.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey was naturally disappointed with the final outcome of the game after Toronto’s excellent display; however he was impressed with his players and the fight they put up.
"I liked our disposition, "Casey said. "I liked the way we approached it. I liked the way we competed."
There was nothing much to differentiate both teams in terms of stats, however Heat outclassed the Raptors in shooting from the charity stripe (85.3%-71.4%).
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