TORONTO - Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano warned his team about a possible letdown before Friday's return to the Air Canada Centre after a difficult spell on the road. The Raptors heeded Triano's advice, at least in the first half, and earned a 120-113 victory over the Miami Heat before a crowd of 19,800. It wasn't easy. The Raptors had a 69-49 point halftime lead hacked to one point with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter.
Chris Bosh scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds as the Raptors improved their home record to 4-1 at home and 6-7 overall.
Andrea Bargnani had 24 points, including a crucial three-pointer with slightly more than three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Jarrett Jack hit a three-pointer after a Miami turnover to make the score 110-103 with 1:48 left. He scored 17 for the game.
Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 30 for Miami.
Triano said it was a relief to come home after a four-game Western Conference swing but warned his team against complacency.
"If you relax at all and you come back thinking that just because you're home something good is going to happen, that's wrong. You can't do that in this league," Triano said before the game. "There's 82 games and we do have a tough chunk behind us yes. But you can't take any game for granted."
The Raptors were 1-3 on their trip west, including a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, to complete an eight-game stretch in which they played seven on the road. Their only other win in that road stretch was in New Orleans. They won the lone home game against Chicago.
The Raptors led after the first quarter 26-24. An alley-oop dunk by swingman DeMar DeRozan off a pass from point guard Jose Calderon brought the crowd to its feet and gave the Raptors a 15-12 lead with 5:54 left.
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