RaptorsHQ Rapid Recap - Miami Heat 95 - Toronto Raptors 89

-The Toronto Raptors put in a surprising effort against the Miami Heat and were actually in it for the majority of the contest. Despite an impressive first half by the Dino’s they couldn’t sustain their great play in the second half, and dropped this contest to the Heat 95-89.

- Dwayne Casey again elected to utilize a smaller starting lineup with Jerryd Bayless at the 2 and James Johnson at the 4;this gave the Raptors a little more movement on the offensive end which helped them get off to a favorable start before J.J got into foul trouble.

- The Raptors got a huge effort out of Demar DeRozan who seems to have a big performance every four games or so. DeRozan dropped in 25 points, 16 of which were in the first half. DeMar also led the team in free throw attempts with 11, a good sign for DeRozan given his recent tendency to settle for long jumpers rather than attack the basket.

- After an impressive first half which ended with the Raps trailing by just 5, the wheels began to come off in the third. The Dino’s offense struggled mightily and suffered through a scoring drought of 4:38 before ultimately finding themselves in a 13 point hole heading into the fourth quarter. There was no doubt that the poor play by the Raptors in that third quarter ended up costing them the game in the end.

-The Miami Heat’s "big three" played like superstars in this one. LeBron James finished with 30 points, while Dwayne Wade had 25 and Chris Bosh added 12 points and 8 rebounds to lift the Heat over the Raptors.

-The Raptors' bench gave them a huge lift in the ballgame; their bench outscored the Heat's 31-15, highlighted by Linas Kleiza's 17 point outburst. Ed Davis was also solid, grabbing 8 rebounds and scoring 8 points.

- Even though the Raptors lost this game, the effort they put out in consecutive games now has to be encouraging. The Dinos will look to continue their momentum as they take on the Washington Wizards again Monday night.