The Toronto Raptors are looking to avoid a season-high fourth straight loss. They'll likely have to do that without Chris Bosh on Wednesday night when they close out a three-game road trip against the league-worst Miami Heat.
The Raptors (32-27) have dropped three consecutive games for a third time this season and two of those defeats have come without Bosh, who leads the team with 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The forward-center is expected to miss his third consecutive game with a right knee injury."It's a big adjustment for us all, playing without Chris, because the guys have different roles," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said.
Mitchell's team struggled again without Bosh on Tuesday, losing 102-87 at Orlando. Toronto hasn't had a four-game skid since Dec. 6-11, 2006.
If Bosh can't go, then Rasho Nesterovic will make his third consecutive start. He had a season-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting in a 110-98 loss at Charlotte on Sunday, but followed that up with just two points on 1-of-7 shooting against the Southeast Division-leading Magic.
Anthony Parker will be looking to continue his strong play after scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds on Tuesday. The swingman is averaging 22.7 points and 7.0 boards in the last three games to increase his season averages to 12.1 and 4.0, respectively.
Parker put up 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting to help the Raptors to a 114-82 win against Miami (11-46) on Feb. 4, halting their five-game road losing streak in the all-time series.
He hopes to continue getting help from reserve guard T.J. Ford, who scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday after going 2-for-9 for six points against the Bobcats.
Despite his subpar shooting on Sunday, Ford is averaging 14.7 points over the last six games.
The Heat return home after Sunday's 120-109 loss at Sacramento, during which they squandered a 23-point, second-quarter lead.
"Good teams find a way to win and we were not able to do it tonight," said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who had 26 points and seven assists. "We could not spot what they were doing and lost our rhythm. They came out aggressive and started hitting their outside shots."
Wade, Miami's leader with 24.5 points and 6.9 assists per game, looks to build off two straight strong performances. On Friday, he made 13 of 25 shots to finish with 31 points and five assists in a 103-93 win at Seattle. Wade had totaled 33 points in the two previous games.
The four-time All-Star, though, was limited to 12 points and four assists in the last matchup with the Raptors.
A loss on Wednesday would give the Heat their worst record at this point in a season since they were 8-50 to start the 1988-89 season - their first in the NBA
"It is about habits," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Not playing well on a regular habit, not playing hard, and losing all becomes a habit. We have had these problems all year long. After a while, it gets into your seasonal DNA."
