Raptors at Heat
The Miami Heat are surging with wins in four straight games, vaulting themselves into the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Heat will try to keep rolling when they host a team they could see in the first round of the playoffs in the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Miami looked like it was playing its way out of the race with losses in 10 of 13 games but has since ripped off wins over a pair of fellow playoff hopefuls - Charlotte and Brooklyn - among its last four victories and took a one-game lead over Orlando and the Hornets with Friday's 126-110 triumph over Cleveland. "I think we're playing together more," Heat point guard Justise Winslow told reporters. "I think the ball is moving and teams are being forced to pull triggers, whether it be a closeout or blitz or jumping on a shot fake because you're late. It's a mixture of things. But I think just now we're playing together and the ball is moving a lot." The Raptors are closing in on clinching a playoff spot and own the second-best record in the NBA, 2 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks entering play on Saturday. Toronto suffered through a rare two-game slide earlier in the week but bounced back on Friday with a convincing 127-104 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans to begin the three-game road trip.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (47-19): Toronto resisted the urge to take a New Orleans team that sat superstar Anthony Davis lightly on Friday as Kawhi Leonard led the way with 31 points on 14-of-20 shooting. "That's what I try to do, lead by example and see what we need to pick up during the game," Leonard told reporters. "...We're a team that wants to win and go deep in the playoffs, so we have to dig deep and not care about who we're playing against and play above the competition." Fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry helped Leonard out with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season.
ABOUT THE HEAT (31-34): Miami placed eight scorers in double figures while shooting 57 percent from the floor and totaling 31 assists in Friday's triumph. "It's amazing what you can accomplish in this league if you don't care who the leading scorer is, who's getting the most shots, who's getting the shine," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "Everybody can benefit when your team is playing well and you're truly enjoying someone else's success. It's a lot of fun and you're seeing that right now with our group." Josh Richardson led the way with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting on Friday while knocking down four of the team's 12 3-pointers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Heat C Kelly Olynyk is averaging 19.7 points on 60.2 percent shooting over the last seven games.
2. Raptors PG Jeremy Lin score 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting Friday - his highest total in eight games since joining the team.
3. Toronto took each of the first two meetings, including a 106-104 triumph in Miami on Dec. 26.