The Miami Heat looked defeat in the eye and didn't blink.
Instead, the Heat turned a 17-point third quarter deficit around and pulled off their biggest comeback of the season to defeat the Raptors 97-94 on Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
At 40-34, Miami is six games above the .500 mark for the first time since March of the 2006-07 season. It also maintained its hold on sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, where the Heat sits a game behind fifth-place Milwaukee.
Dwyane Wade did plenty, but this was a night when others on the roster clearly stepped up to help the team avoid what could have been a momentum-killing vibe the team has been on the past few weeks. Udonis Haslem scored 23 points, Carlos Arroyo scored 8 of his 12 in the fourth, and sealed it from the free-throw line, and Joel Anthony filled in solidly for the injured Jermaine O'Neal.
A loss would have put the Heat in a very difficult spot, with Miami already losing the tie-breaker edge to Milwaukee and Charlotte. Instead, the Heat earned a season split with the Raptors. The finish sets up pretty well for the Heat, which plays its final eight games against teams with losing records and all but out of playoff contention.
D. WADE'S DOINGS: Wade was in a fighting mood. Perhaps it had something to do with his dog, Sasha, being attacked by other dogs while the Heat was away on that three-game trip last week. Sasha remains in the vet as she recovers from injuries that left her in need of a couple of doggy casts. The ordeal clearly troubled Wade, who will spend the team's off day on Monday "at the hospital with her." The man had a lot on his mind. And he clearly didn't want to add to the misery by seeing the Heat blown out at home after its first undefeated road trip of the season. Wade had another of those Magic Johnson-type performances Spoelstra has talked about. He finished with 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists, five steals and three blocks. Those numbers helped to offset his six turnovers. Once Toronto loaded up on Wade, he was more than ready to become a facilitator. That opened the door for Haslem and Arroyo to step up huge.
TURNING POINT: The Heat used a 15-2 run that started in the third quarter to claw back from that 17-point Raptors lead. Haslem and Arroyo simply took over in the fourth, combining to score 19 points in the period. Toronto simply wilted away and couldn't make a shot.
WINNING/LOSING EDGE: Miami's hot shooting was clearly the edge. The Heat shot 52.9 percent overall and was 61.3 percent in the second half. The Raptors shot 42 percent in the second half.
HEAD-SCRATCHER: Michael Beasley's up-and-down play has hit another dip. He missed 9 of 10 shots and had four turnovers while finishing with only 2 points. It had to be a low-point of the season for the second-year player. He said the other day that he was searching for the player who used to dominate the game in college during his lone season at Kansas State. That search is about to hit a desperation point. It's not a good thing for Beasley that the team is playing so well despite his struggles. But clearly, there's too much talent in Beasley for things to continue this way. At some point, he either has to alter his game or his approach to dealing with this inconsistency. Something's gotta give here, right? Right? The Heat is a much better team when Beasley's confident, loose and productive. The team will need him in the playoffs. He's got a handful of regular-season games left to work his way out of the doldrums.
KEY CONTRIBUTION: Haslem always talks about how much of his game he's had to sacrifice in order to fully embrace the heart-and-hustle role with the Heat. On Sunday, he got back to being the kind of low-post option he was during his days at Florida. Haslem was 10 of 11 from the field and scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. This comes a game after he matched his career high with 18 rebounds in the win at Milwaukee. And better still, this comes with him essentially playing on one leg because of that severe ankle sprain. Everyone knows that Haslem is probably one of the league's best spot-up shooting forwards from the baseline. That's his shot. Has been for years. But he showed other parts of his offense. There was the up-and-under move at the basket. There was also the spinning drive into the lane for another score.
NEXT UP: Heat at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday - The Palace of Auburn Hills
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