Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram added 23, leading the Toronto Raptors to a dominant 121-95 victory over the visiting Miami Heat on Tuesday.

Jakob Poeltl contributed 17 points while RJ Barrett chipped in 16 for the Raptors (44-35), who pulled within a game of the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference standings. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 11 off the bench, helping Toronto bounce back after losing three of its previous four games.

For Miami (41-38), Andrew Wiggins led the way with 24 points, followed by Tyler Herro and Norman Powell with 14 points each. The Heat struggled from beyond the arc, making just 27.3% of their 3-point attempts (12 of 44), marking their ninth loss in 12 games.

Toronto extended a 13-point halftime lead to 84-66 after Barrett’s layup capped a 7-0 run. Powell scored five straight points to narrow the gap, but Barnes’ three-pointer and follow-up dunk closed the third quarter, giving the Raptors a 94-76 lead entering the final period.

The Raptors reached a 20-point advantage on Poeltl’s layup with 10:49 remaining, extending it further to 97-76. Ja’Kobe Walter hit his third 3-pointer at the 6:06 mark, pushing Toronto’s lead to 109-85. With less than three minutes left, Toronto brought in its bench, with Jamison Battle adding a few baskets to cap the lopsided win.

Toronto started strong, making five 3-pointers in the first quarter and taking a 32-27 lead into the second. A pair of free throws by Bam Adebayo gave Miami a brief two-point edge before Barrett’s three-point play ignited a 12-2 run, putting the Raptors ahead 46-38.

Back-to-back baskets by Ingram and Barrett extended Toronto’s lead to 53-40, forcing a Miami timeout with 4:58 remaining in the first half. Barnes’ three-point play and Ingram’s dunk later pushed the advantage to 64-47. Miami managed the last four points before halftime to cut the deficit to 13. Ingram had a game-high 15 first-half points, while Wiggins led the Heat with 11.

-Field Level Media/Reuters