Kyle Lowry vs. Goran Dragic
The Toronto Raptors arrested two skids after beating the Miami Heat, 102-92 on Friday night led by Kyle Lowry’s 19 points and four others in double-figure scoring. The Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak and a longer 16 straight losses to Miami with Toronto’s last victory coming in January of 2010. IN PHOTO: Mar 13, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) falls as he goes after the ball against Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic (7) at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Heat 102-92. REUTERS/Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors arrested two skids after beating the Miami Heat, 102-92 on Friday night led by Kyle Lowry’s 19 points and four others in double-figure scoring. The Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak and a longer 16 straight losses to Miami with Toronto’s last victory coming in January of 2010.

Lowry also added 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals for one of his best all-around games of the season. DeMar DeRozan added 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Lou Williams and Greiviz Vasquez combined for 26 points off the bench.

The Heat and Raptors had similar shooting clips for the night, Miami shot 35-of-79 (44.4%) overall from the field while Toronto was at 34-of-79 field goals (43.0%). However, Toronto converted more from behind the arc hitting a dozen three-pointers while Miami just hit five.

Toronto was in control early building a 21-18 lead after the first quarter and pushed it to 50-41 after the first half. The Heat never seriously threatened in the second half as Dwyane Wade finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 field goal shooting. Other Heat starters failed to shoot as good from the field, Luol Deng missed 8-of-11 shots for 8 points while Henry Walker missed 9-of-12 shots also for 8 points. Goran Dragic had 18 points, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Toronto lost their previous four games against quality teams Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs and had lost 9 of their last 10 games entering the game versus the Heat. At 39-26, Toronto tied the Chicago Bulls (40-27) for third place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday and the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Miami got booted out of the playoff picture with the loss dropping to 29-36 for ninth place in the conference coupled with a Charlotte Hornets’ (29-35) victory over the Bulls also on Friday. Miami is just 2-3 in their last 5 games with games against playoff-bound teams Cleveland Cavaliers and Trail Blazers on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au.

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