Miami

Miami plays Toronto, aims for 4th straight win


Toronto Raptors (23-23, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (32-17, first in the Eastern Conference)

Miami; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Miami seeks to continue its three-game win streak with a victory against Toronto.

The Heat are 20-9 in Eastern Conference games. Miami averages 108.9 points and has outscored opponents by 4.8 points per game.

The Raptors are 15-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. Toronto is 13-15 against opponents over .500.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Heat won 104-99 in the last matchup on Jan. 18.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Lowry is averaging 13.4 points and 8.3 assists for the Heat. Tyler Herro is averaging 21.3 points over the last 10 games for Miami.

Fred VanVleet is averaging 21.7 points, seven assists and 1.7 steals for the Raptors. Pascal Siakam is averaging 22.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists and two steals over the past 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 8-2, averaging 112.0 points, 43.6 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 8.6 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.6 points per game.

Raptors: 4-6, averaging 103.1 points, 43.7 rebounds, 21.6 assists, 9.0 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.8 points.

INJURIES: Heat: Victor Oladipo: out (right knee), Markieff Morris: out (reconditioning), KZ Okpala: out (wrist), Chris Silva: out (ineligible to play), Kyle Lowry: out (personal).

Raptors: Khem Birch: out (nose), Goran Dragic: out (personal), Fred VanVleet: day to day (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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