Heat return home to face reeling Raptors

The Miami Heat (15-9), winners of their last three, return home after a brief road trip to face Toronto (16-11), who have lost their last two after a four game winning streak. These two squads last faced off on November 8th, a game in which Miami won 96-76, holding the Raptors to 29 second-half points and a paltry 39% shooting from the field.

The Raptors have been without center Jonas Valanciunas since November 20th, but backup Bismack Biyombo has manned the middle well and is coming off an 18 rebound, 7 block game. The Raptors still have one of the best backcourts in the league, with All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry both averaging over 20 points per game this season.

Miami will again be without Josh McRoberts, who is recovering from a sore knee, and Tyler Johnson, who did return against Brooklyn, will again be held out. He only played five minutes in the Brooklyn match up and it was evident that his shoulder hadn't recovered to the extent that it needed to. Expect to see Beno Udrih and Udonis Haslem play in relief of those two.

Probable Starters:

Heat:

• Luol Deng
• Chris Bosh
• Hassan Whiteside
• Dwyane Wade
• Goran Dragic

Raptors:

• Terrance Ross
• Luis Scola
• Bismack Biyombo
• DeMar DeRozan
• Kyle Lowry

Game Info:

Heat (15-9) @ Raptors (16-11)

American Airlines Arena, Miami FL

Friday, Dec 18 8:00 PM EST

Broadcast Info:

• NBA League Pass
• TSN
• FS-Sun
• 790 The Ticket