Raptors handle Heat in return home
Bosh posts 29 points, 12 rebounds to help Toronto end 3-game slide
Last Updated: Saturday, November 21, 2009 | 2:51 AM ET
The Canadian Press
Jarrett Jack stepped up his game just in time to save the Toronto Raptors.
The backup point guard scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including two important three-pointers, as the Raptors withstood the Miami Heat's comeback attempt Friday to score a 120-113 victory before a crowd of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors led by 20 points, 69-49 at the half, but the Heat whittled the lead to one point twice in the fourth quarter — at 100-99 with 3:44 left in the game and at 102-101 with 3:27 left.
Andrea Bargnani. who scored 24 points, hit a three-pointer to put the Raptors ahead 105-101 with 3:13 left.
And then Jack, who signed with Toronto as a free agent after playing last season with the Indiana Pacers, came through with his three-pointers on a pair of 23-foot jumpers.
His first three of the quarter came off a pass from Bargnani with 1:48 left and made it 110-103 and his second with 51.9 seconds left came on a pass from Hedo Turkoglu. That one gave the Raptors some breathing room at 115-103. Jack had three three-pointers for the game.
"I've got great teammates," Jack said. "They're the same shots I've been getting all season and they've been preaching to me all season to, 'Keep shooting it, keep shooting it. Why aren't you shooting it?'
"They've been a positive influence on me since I've been here. I'm just thankful they are still finding me when I'm open."
Chris Bosh scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds as the Raptors improved their home record to 4-1 at home and 6-7 overall.
Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 30 for Miami.
Toronto head coach Jay Triano said it was a relief to come home after a four-game Western Conference swing but warned his team against complacency.
"If you relax at all and you come back thinking that just because you're home something good is going to happen, that's wrong. You can't do that in this league," Triano said before the game.
"There's 82 games and we do have a tough chunk behind us, yes. But you can't take any game for granted. The first game back is always a tough one."
The Raptors were 1-3 on their trip west, including a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, to complete an eight-game stretch in which they played seven on the road.
Their only other win in that road stretch was in New Orleans. They won the lone home game against Chicago.
The Raptors led after the first quarter 26-24. An alley-oop dunk by swingman DeMar DeRozan off a pass from point guard Jose Calderon brought the crowd to its feet and gave the Raptors a 15-12 lead with 5:54 left.
Toronto poured it on in the second quarter with 43 points to give it a season-high 69 for a half. Turkoglu scored a buzzer-beating three after the Chalmers missed his second free throw.
The Raptors hit 68 per cent from the floor and the Heat shot just 41 per cent in the first half.
The Heat had a surge the third quarter to cut the Raptors lead to 11 points at 84-73 with 3:24 left in the quarter after Wade completed a three-point play when he was fouled scoring on a layup.
Wade converted two more free throws less than a minute later and the Raptors led 85-75. The lead was down to six, 89-83, by the end of the third quarter as Wade hit a jumper with 24.9 seconds left.
Bosh missed two free throws at the beginning of the fourth quarter and Carlos Arroyo came back to cut the Raptors lead to four at 89-85.
Raptors swingman Antoine Wright did not play Friday night because of a sore left ankle. He also missed the loss to Utah on Wednesday with the same injury.
Miami swingman Quentin Richardson did not play because of a back injury.
Toronto hosts the Orlando Magic on Sunday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 12:30 p.m. ET).
