The Miami Heat are having an up and down season but scored a huge win last Sunday when they defeated the Toronto Raptors at home 96–76 while sporting jerseys honoring the troops.
Leading the way for Miami were the twin towers of veteran big man Chris Bosh and budding center Hassan Whiteside.
Bosh led the scoring with 23 points, also having eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 30 minutes of action. Whiteside, on the other hand, continued to impress, recording a double-double 20 points with 11 rebounds, one steal, and six rejections as well.
Heat star guard Dwyane Wade also helped on offense chipping in 12 points, while guard Tyler Johnson led the reserves in the victory with 10 points.
Miami finished the first half of the game trailing the Raptors 47–44 but had its offensive game going in the second half to outscore the visitors 52–29, sealing the win and improving to 4–3.
"That was really inspiring basketball in the second half. I think the second unit really sparked the energy of the entire team and everybody fed off that defensive energy," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said, according to the Associated Press.
The Heat are now seventh in the Eastern Conference standings having an identical record with the Milwaukee Bucks who are sitting one place higher at the sixth spot.
Meanwhile, the Raptors, after a hot 5–0 start to the 2015–16 season, are now riding a two-game losing streak after being defeated by Miami.
Leading the Raptors in the loss was the backcourt duo of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and playmaker Kyle Lowry.
DeRozan scored 16 points, one rebound, and three assists. Meanwhile, Lowry tallied 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and one steal. Both also led in minutes played for Toronto as Lowry saw 37 minutes of action while DeRozan played for 36 minutes.
The Raptors are now at 5–2, enough for the third spot in the East, just behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks.
