THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Chris Bosh finally made his return to the floor Wednesday — although this was a game his teammates could have won without him.
Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker scored 14 points apiece as the Toronto Raptors ran roughshod over an undermanned Miami Heat squad en route to their biggest win in franchise history, a 96-54 victory over the worst team in the NBA.
The win snapped Toronto’s five-game losing streak — the team’s longest of the season — and marked the return of Bosh, who missed 10 consecutive games with a sore right knee.
Rasho Nesterovic added 12 points for the Raptors (35-33), while Jose Calderon had 10 points and 10 assists, and Jamario Moon had nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Bosh had eight points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes.
Chris Quinn led the Heat (12-55) with 14 points while Ricky Davis added 12.
The Raptors led for all but the first possession Wednesday in a game that looked at times more like a pro team versus college kids. Toronto were up by as many as 34 points in the second quarter against an injury-riddled Heat squad that dressed just seven players, and took a 78-45 advantage in the fourth in front of a capacity crowd of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre.
With the second unit on the floor for the dying minutes, the Raptors took their biggest lead in franchise history — 43 points — on a basket by Kris Humphries with 1:01 left in the game. The crowd actually booed the team from that point on as it became clear the team wasn’t going to score 100 points, which would have earned the fans free pizza.
The game was a perfect one for Bosh to ease himself back into the action. The all-star forward barely broke a sweat, taking a seat for good with just over seven minutes left in the game. But his presence was a welcome relief to a Raptors squad that struggled without its leading scorer and rebounder, going 2-8 without him.
“It is hard to win in this league when you’re not healthy, and Chris is so important to what we do,” Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said before the game. “Not to make an excuse, but if you take the best player off most teams, they have a tendency to struggle.
“In the past when Chris has missed games, we’ve found a way to win, but for whatever reason this time we just couldn’t get over the hump.”
The Raptors shot 54 per cent on the night while the hapless Heat connected on just 26 per cent of their shots.
Miami was missing Shawn Marion (sore back), Jason Williams (jammed right thumb), Udonis Haslem (ankle), Marcus Banks (hamstring), and Alexander Johnson (knee).
Montreal native and Heat rookie Joel Anthony made his Canadian NBA debut, finishing with four rebounds in 26 minutes. The national team player wasn’t drafted by Miami, but was signed by the team before the season opened.
“It is great to be able to come back to Canada to play the sport that I love,” Anthony said. “Being one of a few Canadians in the NBA, I don’t get the chance to return home often during the season.”
The Raptors led for all but the first minute of the game, assembling a 16-point lead in the first quarter on 59 per cent shooting. Toronto took a 29-16 advantage into the second.
The game only got uglier in the second, as the Raptors held the Heat to just four baskets in the quarter and stretched their lead to 34 points late in the period. Toronto took a 58-26 advantage into the dressing room at halftime.
A slam dunk by Moon midway through the fourth made it a 36-point Raptors advantage to that point, and Toronto was up 78-45 with a quarter left in the game.
NOTES : Bosh’s 10-game absence was the second longest of his career. He missed 12 in a row last season with a bone bruise on his left knee, and missed the final 12 games of the 2005-06 season with a sprained thumb. … Moon’s previous career high was 13 boards. … The Raptors already had 25- and 32-point wins over the Heat this season. … The Raptors head to Cleveland to face the Eastern Conference rival Cavaliers on Friday. They’re back home for four straight at the ACC, beginning Sunday when they host the Denver Nuggets.
