Raptors Stay Home To Beat Heat

Around the NBA

The Miami Heat joined some elite company in losing to the Toronto Raptors.

Damon Stoudamire tied his career high with 35 points Sunday as the Raptors snapped a five-game losing streak and ended Miami’s eight-game winning streak with a 102-97 victory at SkyDome.

The victory gives the Raptors (26-47) victories over the league’s top three teams this season: Chicago, Utah and Miami.

The Heat, meanwhile, saw their lead atop the Atlantic Division shrink to 2-1/2 games over the New York Knicks.

“We had a team meeting and went over some of the things we’d been doing wrong lately,” said Stoudamire, who added 11 assists. “We talked about playing out the string hard and not giving up anything to any team.”

Stoudamire, who had one of his best shooting performances of the season, hit 12 of 18 shots from the field, including 5 for 6 from 3-point range and 6 for 6 from the line.

“That’s just a hot game,” said Stoudamire. “The only people who shoot 60 or 70 percent on a consistent basis are the big men.”

Although he led the Heat with 27 points, Miami’s big man, Alonzo Mourning, was a dismal 7 for 16 from the free throw line. As a team, Miami shot just 59.3 percent (16 for 27) from the line.

The Heat, who gave up 22 points off 17 turnovers, were actually up 93-83 with 6:40 to play when Stoudamire was fouled beyond the arc and hit all three free throws to cut the lead to 93-86.

Doug Overton filled in for the injured Allen Iverson with a season-high 19 points and 10 assists and the visiting Philadelphia 76ers had a late comeback as they shocked the Detroit Pistons 96-92.

It was the fifth loss in seven games for the Pistons, who fell a half-game behind Atlanta for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit lost for only the sixth time to a sub-.500 team and just the fourth time in 45 games in which they led going into the final quarter.

Grant Hill had a triple-double with 22 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, but missed two free throws in the final 10 seconds that would have tied the game.

Patrick Ewing scored 33 points and Chris Childs had 19, leading the struggling New York Knicks to a 101-86 road victory over the Orlando Magic.

Ewing’s status for the game was questionable after he pulled his left tricep muscle during New York’s 92-86 loss to the New Jersey Nets Friday night.

Rik Smits scored eight of his season-high 40 points in overtime, leading the host Indiana Pacers over the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96.

Smits, who scored 11 of Indiana’s last 15 points, was too much for the Clippers inside, hitting 17-of-28 shots against much shorter defenders Lorenzen Wright and Loy Vaught.

Tyrone Hill returned to Cleveland’s lineup after a two-game absence and scored 17 points as the Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak by beating the Dallas Mavericks 84-80 at Cleveland.

Robert Pack had 23 points to lead Dallas, which lost its seventh straight game.