DeRozan sets club record in Raptors' win over Heat
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Miami Heat 96-87 on Friday night to extend their winning streak to three games.
DeRozan set a club record by scoring 30 or more points in five straight games when he hit a jump shot with 2:30 to play in the game. He added a floating jumper with 2:14 remaining to help seal the game for the Raptors.
DeRozan is the first player to score 30-plus points in each of his first five games of a season since Michael Jordan in 1986-87 (six straight from Nov. 1-11, 1986).
Terrence Ross added 20 points off the bench for Toronto and Kyle Lowry scored 13 points and dished out eight assists.
Jonas Valanciunas added five points and 11 rebounds for Toronto (4-1).
Hassan Whiteside led the Heat (2-3) with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Tyler Johnson added 16 points off the bench for the Heat, Goran Dragic had 15, Justise Winslow 13 and James Johnson 11.
DeRozan had tied the club record of four straight games with 30 or more points on Wednesday when he scored 40 points in the win over the Washington Wizards. Mike James also scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games in 2005.
After leading by as many as 12 points, the Heat led 27-25 after the first quarter. DeRozan had 10 points.
Lowry's 3-pointer propelled the Raptors into a 35-32 lead early in the second quarter. The Raptors led by as many as seven points in the period and took a 52-46 lead into the second half.
Ross led the first-half scorers with 16 points and DeRozan had 12. Tyler Johnson and Dragic each scored 13 points for the Heat in the first half. Whiteside had 10 and grabbed eight rebounds.
Two baskets by Pascal Siakam on assists by Lowry had the Raptors leading 58-48 with 9:48 to play in the third quarter. Lowry's 3-pointer bumped the lead to 12 points and DeRozan banked in a floating jumper to increase the lead at 14. The lead reached 16 on a pair of free throws by DeRozan.
The Heat trimmed the lead to 75-72 when James Johnson put in a layup to end the third quarter.
Ross made a pull up jumper with 9:17 to play in the fourth to put the Raptors ahead by eight points and Norman Powell made a floating jumper to increase the lead to 10 points.
Tyler Johnson's 3-pointer cut the Toronto lead to five points. Lowry's shot got the lead to seven for Toronto.
DeRozan scored with four minutes to play and the Raptors led 88-79 before Whiteside cut the lead to seven with a hook shot with 3:19 to play.
NOTES: Heat G Josh Richardson (sprained right MCL) was cleared to play Friday after missing the first four games of the season and Heat G Wayne Ellington (right thigh contusion) missed his fifth straight game to open the season. ... The teams were meeting for the first time since the Raptors defeated the Heat 116-89 at Air Canada Centre in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. Toronto also won the season series, 3-1, in 2015-16. ... The Raptors' next game is Sunday against the Sacramento Kings at Air Canada Centre. ...The Heat play next on Monday against the Oklahoma Thunder Monday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.