Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 38 points as the Raptors rolled to a 128-114 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday as Toronto closed in on a playoff berth.
Ingram added seven rebounds and seven assists as Toronto (45-35) won both games of a back-to-back with Miami.
The victory put the Raptors into a tie for fifth with the idle Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings. A win on Friday against the New York Knicks or on Sunday versus the Brooklyn Nets will clinch Toronto's first playoff spot in four years.
RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., added 22 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Raptors.
Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell each had a double-double for Miami (41-39). Adebayo had 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Mitchell scored 15 and added 11 assists.
The Heat had already locked up a spot in the play-in tournament but were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in Tuesday's loss.
Takeaways
Heat: Two days after a 121-95 loss to Toronto that head coach Erik Spoelstra said "embarrassed" his team, Miami didn't improve significantly. The Heat were outrebounded 40-34 and gave up 15 turnovers for 24 points.
Raptors: All-star Scottie Barnes got into early foul trouble but Ingram stepped up, playing aggressively in the first two quarters, forcing the Heat to double- or triple-team him on defence, opening up scoring opportunities for his Toronto teammates. Ingram had 10 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second.
Key moment
Ingram made a pair of free throws with 1:58 left in the first half that capped a 14-1 Toronto run for a 19-point lead.
Key stat
Toronto had just one turnover in the first half and a total of six.
Up next
Toronto: Visits the New York Knicks on Friday.
Miami: Visits the Washington Wizards on Friday.
