Raptors battle back, but come up short against Heat

MIAMI (AP) — A scuffle inspired Toronto, and the Raptors' response forced the Miami Heat to work a little harder to secure their first win of the season.

Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Max Strus added 20 off the bench and the Heat topped the Raptors 112-109 on Saturday night.

The teams will meet again Monday night in Miami.

Miami's Kyle Lowry had 17 points against his former club, Tyler Herro had 14 and Bam Adebayo added 10 for the Heat — who wasted much of a 24-point lead before hanging on.

“When the result ends like this, I love all of the emotions and experiences," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 23 points for Toronto, which got 18 points and 11 rebounds from former Heat forward Precious Achiuwa. O.G. Anunoby scored 13 points and Scottie Barnes added 11 for Toronto.

The Heat saw a 24-point lead cut to six early in the fourth, with Toronto getting on a huge roll after a scuffle — which spilled into a row of baseline seats — seemed to inspire the Raptors.

Toronto’s Christian Koloko and Miami’s Caleb Martin were both ejected with 7:46 left in the third quarter. They were jostling for a rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Siakam, and Martin was whistled for a foul. Koloko wound up on the floor, and Martin stepped toward him as the Raptors’ rookie quickly bounced to his feet.

In a flash, they were tangled, Martin appearing to drive Koloko into a row of seats that toppled backward. Players from both teams quickly rushed to that spot, which was just a couple of feet in front of the Heat bench. The game was stopped for several minutes while referees reviewed the play and crews used towels to mop up the area.

“There was a lot of plays leading up to it," Martin said. “It was a chippy