National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Miami 93, Toronto 83
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, March 31, 2014
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #29 Mark Lindsay, #16 David Guthrie
Attendance: 19831

Heat 93, Raptors 83: LeBron James erupted for 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as host Miami pulled into a virtual tie with Indiana atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Chris Bosh added 18 points for Miami, which took advantage of the Pacers' 103-77 loss to the San Antonio Spurs earlier Monday to move six percentage points ahead of the Pacers. Chris Andersen had 13 points and Mario Chalmers contributed 12 for the Heat, who defeated Toronto for the 15th straight time.

Greivis Vasquez led the way with 17 points off the bench for the Raptors, who saw their lead shrink over idle Brooklyn shrink to two games in the race for top spot in the Atlantic Division. DeMar DeRozan had 16 points while Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which is tied for third with Chicago in the Eastern Conference standings.

Miami needed just over three minutes to turn a three-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage, and Bosh and James combined for the final 15 Miami points of the quarter to fend off a Toronto rally and give the Heat a 74-65 edge going into the fourth. Toronto made it a one-possession game on a Vasquez layup with 6:13 remaining, but Toney Douglas buried a 3-pointer and James converted a three-point play as part of a decisive 11-3 run.

James was dominant in the opening half, racking up 21 points, six assists and four rebounds en route to a 54-51 Miami lead. Toronto shot nearly 60 percent in the half but had 12 fewer free-throw attempts.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami was without guards Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Ray Allen (illness) and center Greg Oden (back spasms). ... Raptors PG Kyle Lowry left in the third quarter after injuring his knee following a collision with James and didn't return. X-rays were negative, and the team will re-evaluate him Tuesday. ... The teams combined to shoot 15-of-51 from 3-point range.
Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Miami
Greivis Vasquez 17 Scoring LeBron James 32
DeMar DeRozan 7 Assists LeBron James 8
Jonas Valanciunas 10 Rebounds Chris Andersen 7
Kyle Lowry 2 Free Throws Made LeBron James 9
DeMar DeRozan 2 Steals Chris Bosh 1
Nando de Colo 1 Blocks Chris Andersen 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Toronto 83 50.0 8-26 5-10 17 30 1 7 15
Miami 93 51.5 7-25 18-22 19 36 2 5 15
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Heat have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Houston. The Raptors have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.