Behind Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, Miami Rallies From 15 Down to Defeat Toronto

By: Pedro Heizer

After being off for almost a week, the reigning NBA Champions finally took the court. At the start Miami looked a little slow but it didn’t take long for the Heat to ignite and defeat the pesky Toronto Raptors 123-116 in overtime.

Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 35 points, including eight in overtime. It was Wade who sparked a 13-0 run in the extra session after the Raptors had built a four-point lead. His night overshadowed a triple-double by LeBron James, who finished with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

The Raptors led by as many as 15 in the first half before losing the lead and rallying to force overtime. But it was too much. Despite allowing 14 3-pointers, the Heat’s combination of James, Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen were more than enough to compensate.

Ray Allen scored 18 points off the bench while Chris Bosh contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Alan Anderson scored 20 points for Toronto, leading seven Raptors in double figures. Jose Calderon scored 17, Terrence Ross had 16, and Amir Johnson finished with 15 points.

Game MVP: Dwyane Wade

As much as LeBron could have easily gotten the award, it’s time to acknowledge that Dwyane Wade led this game from start to finish. The Heat captain led the 13-0 run in overtime to give his club the win. Wade had seven assists and five rebounds to go with his season-high 35 points.

Lights Out Performer: Alan Anderson

Anderson led the Raptors with 20 points and he came off the bench. He, along with Jose Calderon, was the driving force behind the Raptors run to take the game to overtime.

Stat of the Night: 53-28

Miami outrebounded Toronto 53-28, with Udonis Haslem also grabbing 10 rebounds for the Heat.