Dwyane Wade scored 31 points and LeBron James added 23 to power the Miami Heat past Toronto 109-100 on Saturday in Heat star forward Chris Bosh’s first game against his former NBA club.
Bosh, the former Raptors leader who left after seven seasons for Miami to join his fellow stars after last season, contributed 12 points in 21 minutes despite foul trouble as Miami improved to 6-4 and Toronto slid to 2-8.
James added 11 assists, while James Jones scored 14 points, Lithuanian big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 12 points and reserve Udonis Haslem had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who ended a two-game losing streak.
Italy’s Andrea Bargnani powered the Raptors with 22 points and nine rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan added 21 points and Jose Calderon and Sonny Weems each scored 15.
Miami took a 7-0 lead and never trailed. The Heat led 34-25 after the first quarter and 63-50 at halftime, but Toronto trimmed the deficit to only 91-87 with 6 minutes, 25 seconds remaining, before the Heat pulled away with a 12-2 run at the finish.
James, the two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player who left Cleveland in July, connected on an alley-oop lob to Haslem and Wade followed with a layup and a slam dunk. James later closed the streak with a slam-dunk of his own.
Bosh exchanged handshakes and a halftime chat with his former Toronto teammates and said the game meant more to him than a normal contest because of his familiarity with the foes.
Bosh let out a scream of delight after a third quarter slam-dunk gave Miami a 73-55 lead, but the Raptors responded with a 16-3 run to pull themselves back into the game in the final minutes.
Bosh, a 2003 draft pick of Toronto, is averaging 14.8 points and a career-low 6.0 rebounds for the Heat, but Wade and James are carrying much of the load for a Miami team expected to produce greatness this season.
The reunion for Bosh sets the stage for James to face his former Cavaliers teammates for the first time on Dec. 2 in Cleveland, where his jerseys were burned in the aftermath of his departure for Miami.
“It’s too early for me” to ponder, James said.
Saturday’s other results:
‧ Jazz 96, Bobcats 95
‧ Hornets 107, Trail Blazers 87
‧ Bucks 79, Warriors 72
‧ Bulls 103, Wizards 96
‧ Pacers 99, Cavaliers 85
‧ Magic 91, Nets 90
‧ Celtics 116, Grizzlies 110
‧ Spurs 116, 76ers 93