Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter VI Mobile College Basketball March Mayhem Picks College Basketball March Mayhem Picks VegasInsider.com VegasInsider.com
Handicapper Bios Sports Picks Free Odds Contests Sportsbook
Sports Betting Home NFL NBANHLMLBNCAA FBNCAA BKGolfAutoHorsesBoxingVI More Sports
 
NBA Scores Matchups Teams Standings Schedules Injuries News
 
 · Latest News
 · Player Updates
 · Transactions
Buy Picks Vegas Odds
 
 · Vegas Odds
 · Offshore Odds
 · Future Odds

 
Heat 100, Raptors 85
 
 
 

TORONTO (AP) - Both on the court and along the sidelines, the Miami Heat will be well represented at this month's NBA All-Star game.

Advertisement
LeBron James scored 30 points, Chris Bosh had 28 against his former team and the Miami Heat beat Toronto 100-85 Sunday for their 10th straight victory over the Raptors.

The victory guarantees Miami the top spot in the Eastern Conference as of Feb. 3, percentage points ahead of the New York Knicks. That means Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff will be in charge when the All-Stars suit up in Houston in two weeks.

``It's awesome,'' James said. ``It's a testament to our coaches' preparedness. As players we go out there and just try to execute their game plan. We're happy for them.''

Spoelstra, the fifth-year coach who led the Heat to the NBA championship last June, called the All-Star nod ``a heck of an honor.''

``We're happy to go, we're excited about it,'' Spoelstra said. ``You don't spend any time thinking about it as it's happening, you're just trying to prepare your team and make sure you have the best record. Now that it happened, it's cool. We'll make the most of it. Our staff is thrilled about it. Our players gave us congratulations afterward. That's about as rare a thing as you'll ever get in this league.''

Dwyane Wade added 23 points as the Heat bounced back after Friday's 102-89 loss at Indiana, ensuring their team Super Bowl viewing party would be a happy one.

``It's good to get this one to close out this road trip so we can enjoy this evening and enjoy the second game,'' Spoelstra said.

James had indicated his displeasure last Wednesday after realizing he would miss the Super Bowl while flying back to Florida after the game. The Heat's private plane is not equipped with satellite TV or wireless Internet.

To accommodate James, the Heat delayed their return home for Monday's game against Charlotte until after the Super Bowl, which they planned to watch at a bar adjoining the Air Canada Centre. Real Sports Bar and Grill is operated by Raptors team owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

``You don't want to be thinking about ways you could have helped the team win while you're trying to watch the Super Bowl,'' James said. ``We're happy we took care of it.''

James and Wade were voted onto the starting lineup for the East, while Bosh was named a reserve last week.

With injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo set to miss out after tearing a knee ligament, Spoelstra was asked whether he'd consider putting Bosh into the starting lineup.

``I've only given this thought for the last nine minutes,'' Spoelstra said. ``But I will tell you this unequivocally: My loyalties are first and foremost always with the Miami Heat.''

Whether he starts or not, Bosh said he was happy to see Spoelstra and his staff earn the trip to Houston.

``They deserve it,'' Bosh said. ``They work hard, just like us. To be able to have that honor and that privilege, it's a great thing.''

Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 29 points and DeMar DeRozan had 27. Kyle Lowry scored 10 points and Aaron Gray matched his season high with 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost four of five.

``They're the champs,'' DeRozan said. ``We couldn't stop them. We couldn't slow them down when they got it going.''

James finished with team highs of eight rebounds and seven assists and Bosh scored 13 in the fourth quarter for Miami, which improved to 12-11 on the road.

Booed throughout by the sellout Toronto crowd, Bosh said he used the jeers as motivation.

``I was hearing a lot from the fans,'' Bosh said. ``I thank them for continuing to stay on me and call me names and stuff because that helped my focus a lot. I was like `I need to get in this to shut them up.'''

Terrence Ross and DeRozan sandwiched 3-pointers around a hook shot by Bosh, bringing Toronto to within three at 84-81 with 5:22 left. Miami's Norris Cole scored a layup but DeRozan answered with a driving dunk, and Miami called timeout up 86-83 with 4:09 left.

Bosh made one of two from the line after the stoppage, then followed with a 3 from the corner as the Heat took a 90-83 lead with 2:34 to go.

``Chris really gave us a presence in the paint,'' Spoelstra said. ``He hit the big 3 but he was collapsing the defense with his rolls to the rim, catching it and going up strong in traffic. That makes us a different team when he gives us that presence.''

James extended the lead by stealing the ball on Toronto's next possession and driving for a breakaway slam, then hitting a 3 to put the Heat up 95-83 with 1:28 left.

James scored nine points in the first, including an alley-oop dunk from Mario Chalmers and a breakaway slam off a Raptors turnover. DeRozan had 10 for Toronto but the Raptors trailed 24-21 after one quarter, the first time in nine games they hadn't led after 12 minutes.

Gay scored Toronto's first 10 points of the second to give the Raptors the lead. He finished with 16 in the quarter, putting Toronto up 50-44 at the half. Bosh scored nine points in the third and Wade added seven as the Heat took advantage of six Toronto turnovers to take a 71-67 lead into the fourth.

NOTES: Gay made his first Raptors start in place of Landry Fields (back spasms). ... Miami is 24-2 when scoring 100 points or more. ... This was the last of a four-game road trip for the Heat. Monday's game against the Bobcats is the first of five straight at home. They'll also face Houston, the Clippers, the Lakers and Portland. ... James and several Heat teammates attended Saturday night's NHL game between the Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. James tweeted a photo from his seat accompanied by the caption ``At my first hockey game. Pretty Damn cool.''

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2013
The Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

  
HEADLINES
Randolph, Grizzlies on the rebound again
Bosh aiming to be impactful against Pacers
Knicks say they need time, not an overhaul
Jordan changing team name to Hornets
Hansen congratulates Sacto on keeping Kings
Magic try to follow trade with lottery luck
Photogs report attack after Lillard photo
Warriors GM: 'Sense of desperation" passed
Late workouts likely to pay off for Oladipo
MORE HEADLINES
 
 Brian Edwards
 20-6 L26 Guarantees, +2,560 TY
 Jimmy Boyd
 5-0 L5, 9-2 L11 Playoff Picks
 Mark Franco
 8-5 L13 G-Plays, +2,983 This Year
 Joe Nelson
 13-6 Last 19, 18-8 NBA Streak
 Joe Williams
 16-9 L25 Picks, 15-8 L23 G-Plays
 Doc's Sports
 18-10 L28 Picks, 23-10 G-Plays
 Tom Freese
 8-4 L12 G-Plays, +3,353 This Year
 James Patrick
 29-17 Last 36 Picks, +2,829 TY
 Stephen Nover
 6-4 Last 10 Picks, +2,869 TY
 Bruce Marshall
 31-19 Last 50 NBA Guarantees
 Tony Stoffo
 15-9 L24 Guaranteed Plays
 Dave Cokin
 21-12 Last 33 NBA Picks
 Marc Lawrence
 3-0 Last 3 NBA Selections
 Kevin Rogers
 5-2 Last 7 Guaranteed Plays
 Scott Pritchard
 3 Straight Wins, 7-2 Last 9 Picks
NBA Pro Basketball Playoffs Expert Sports Picks - Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
2012-13 NBA SEASON PICK RECORDS
Money Leaders
Handicapper Money
Tom Freese + 3353
Mark Franco + 2983
Stephen Nover + 2869
Last 7 Day Leaders
Handicapper Money
Jimmy Boyd + 500
Scott Pritchard + 230
Tom Freese + 200
Percentage Leaders
Handicapper Pct
James Patrick 59 %
Brian Edwards 58 %
Stephen Nover 58 %
Guaranteed Leaders
Handicapper Money
Brian Edwards + 2841
Mark Franco + 2000
Kevin Rogers + 1047
Over-Under Leaders
Handicapper Money
Paul Bovi + 1041
Jimmy Boyd + 1000
James Patrick + 825
Member Leaders
Handicapper Money
James Patrick + 2221
The Gold Sheet + 1507
Stephen Nover + 990
MORE PICK RECORDS
  
GOLD Membership
Over 150 Member Plays free each month. Signup Today!
 
 

NFL
NFL Sports Picks
NFL Vegas Odds
NFL Online Odds
NFL Matchups
NFL Scores

More Sports
Golf
Auto Racing
Horse Racing
Boxing
WNBA

MLB
MLB Sports Picks
MLB Vegas Odds
MLB Online Odds
MLB Matchups
MLB Scores

Features
Free Odds
Contests
Newsletters
VI Radio
Las Vegas Travel
Follow us on Twitter
Add us on Google+
Join us on Facebook

NBA
NBA Sports Picks
NBA Vegas Odds
NBA Online Odds
NBA Matchups
NBA Scores

Sports Betting Tools
Live Odds
Mobile Odds
Parlay Calculator
Gaming Terms
TV Listings
Handicapping Records
Sports Betting
About Sports Betting
Sportsbook Reviews

NHL
NHL Sports Picks
NHL Vegas Odds
NHL Online Odds
NHL Matchups
NHL Scores

VegasInsider Info
About Us
Help Center
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Refund Policy
Contact Us
User Feedback

College Football
NCAA FB Sports Picks
NCAA FB Vegas Odds
NCAA FB Online Odds
NCAA FB Matchups
NCAA FB Scores

Sportsbooks
CarbonSports · Review
SportBet · Review
Sportsbook · Review
TopBet.eu · Review

College Basketball
NCAA BK Sports Picks
NCAA BK Vegas Odds
NCAA BK Online Odds
NCAA BK Matchups
NCAA BK Scores

Rotation Schedules
Baseball: Mar 31 - June 02

Copyright © 1997-2013, VegasInsider.com Inc., The Global Leader In Sports Gaming Information. All rights reserved.
For questions or comments, please contact us at 1-800-211-4759.