DeRozan, Raptors rally past Heat
MIAMI -- DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points, and the Toronto Raptors rallied from an early 15-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 101-84 Thursday night.
DeRozan shot 14 of 25 from the field and 12 of 13 from the free-throw line as Toronto won its fourth straight. In one first-quarter stretch, DeRozan scored 14 consecutive points for a Raptors lineup still without starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who remains sidelined because of an injury to his right wrist.
For the first time in his career, DeRozan scored 40 points or better in consecutive games following his 42-point outing Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.
The Raptors (43-29) took the lead for good after a 20-4 run during a 6:01 stretch between the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth period. Norman Powell's two free throws with 10:42 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Raptors their first double-digit lead at 79-68.
Powell finished with 14 points and Delon Wright scored 13 points for the Raptors, who have won 19 games after trailing by double-figures. In Tuesday's win over Chicago, Toronto rallied from an 18-point deficit to win in overtime.
Hassan Whiteside scored 16 points and finished with 14 rebounds for the Heat. The loss negated Miami's (35-37) second attempt at reaching .500 after starting the season at 11-30.
Whiteside played despite sustaining a deep cut to the middle finger of his right hand in Tuesday's game against Phoenix. Whiteside wore protective padding over the cut that required 13 stitches.
The Raptors also were without forward Serge Ibaka, who served a league-mandated one-game suspension after his altercation with Chicago's Robin Lopez in Toronto's game against the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night.
Tyler Johnson's 3-point play with 1:26 remaining in the first period gave the Heat a 33-18 lead. However, Miami struggled from the field the next two periods, scoring a combined 35 points.
NOTES: The NBA fined Toronto assistant coach Jamaal Magloire $15,000 for pushing Chicago F Nikola Mirotic during the Serge Ibaka-Robin Lopez incident. ... Raptors F P.J. Tucker started in Ibaka's absence and scored nine points. For Tucker, the start was his second since he was acquired in a trade from the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 23. ... C Hassan Whiteside, who set the Heat single-season rebound record Tuesday, extended his Heat record double-double consecutive-game streak to 14. Whiteside also established the mark in Tuesday's win over Phoenix. ... The Heat will begin a three-game road trip Sunday at Boston. The road stretch also features stops at Detroit and New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.