Heat fight for their postseason life against Toronto
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(SportsNetwork.com) - The Miami Heat are fighting for their playoff lives with only three games left and will resume a four-game homestand Saturday versus the Toronto Raptors.
The Heat sit two games off the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference and have split the first two installments on this homestand. They defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, then dropped an 89-78 setback to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Miami had a dreadful third quarter in which it scored eight points to Chicago's 33. The Heat just recorded a 33-12 scoring advantage in the second quarter and were led by Hassan Whiteside's 19 points and 16 rebounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dwyane Wade was held to nine points in 38 minutes, Goran Dragic scored 15 points and Michael Beasley chimed in with 13 off the bench for Miami, which has dropped eight of its last 11 games.
"We've got three games left. As long as we're still in it we'll be good," said Wade. "You just keep coming back until they tell you your season is over. This is not going to detour us from playing our game."
The Heat are 19-20 at home and will close the stay Monday versus Orlando. They will visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toronto pulled even with the Chicago Bulls for third in the Eastern Conference, thanks to a fantastic, 101-99 road victory over the Orlando Magic Friday night.
DeMar DeRozan drove the baseline and dished to Lou Williams for a triple with nine seconds left, and the Raptors edged the Magic.
"He just made a great basketball play and found me, and I was able to make the shot," said Williams.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DeRozan led all scorers with 29 points. Tyler Hansbrough added 16, and Jonas Valanciunas tallied eight points and 13 rebounds.
All-Star guard Kyle Lowry returned to the Raptors' lineup Friday night after missing nine of the previous 10 games with a back injury. He finished with 10 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.
Williams, a leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award at season's end, scored nine points, ending a nine-game streak of 13-plus points.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Raptors and Heat have split a pair of meetings this season with each team winning at home. Toronto halted a lengthy 16-game slide in this series with a 102-92 victory on March 13 at Air Canada Centre.
Toronto is winless in its last 10 trips to South Beach. The last time the Raptors prevailed in Miami was on Nov. 19, 2008 - a 101-95 triumph.