Raptors 91, Heat 75

4/14/2008 9:51 PM

TORONTO (AP) -With a win, and a little help, the Toronto Raptors found out who they'll face in the first round of the playoffs.

Rasho Nesterovic scored 20 points, Chris Bosh had 15 and the Raptors beat the Miami Heat 91-75 on Monday night. The win, coupled with Cleveland's 91-90 victory at Philadelphia, gave Toronto the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and an opening round matchup with Orlando.

``It's going to be a lot of fun,'' Bosh said. ``Dwight (Howard) is a good friend of mine, but he's one of the best competitors that I have in this league. You know he's going to go hard. We have to get a game plan ready for him. We know he's a big, strong, physical presence on the inside.''

Nesterovic was 10-for-19 from the field, scoring double figures for the 17th consecutive game, and grabbed seven rebounds.

``He's been playing great all year and he's especially picked it up lately,'' Bosh said. ``The thing I love about him is he never steps outside of his boundaries. He knows what he's good at, he doesn't try to do too much. When that right hook is falling, he's mean.''

Anthony Parker had 13 and Jason Kapono scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, when Toronto outscored Miami 21-11.

``Jason played very well in the second half,'' Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. ``His defense, he was active. He stuck with it, he made a couple of shots.''

The Raptors huddled behind closed doors for 30 minutes afterward to watch the end of Cleveland's game at Philadelphia and a huge cheer rang out when the Cavaliers wrapped up the win.

With their fate decided, Toronto can afford to rest key players in Wednesday's finale at Chicago.

``It takes a little pressure off of Wednesday's game,'' guard T.J. Ford said. ``Big win tonight for us and a big win for Cleveland.''

Daequan Cook had 22 and Chris Quinn added 14 for the Heat, who lost for the 21st time in their past 24 games. Miami must beat Atlanta at home Wednesday to avoid the worst record in franchise history. The Heat went 15-67 in their inaugural 1988-89 season.

``It's been one of those years,'' Miami coach Pat Riley said. ``I've never been through one like this, with all the things that have happened, never even come close to a season like this.''

Despite all the heartache, Quinn said the end of the year will be bittersweet.

``It's been a long season,'' Quinn said. ``It's never fun when you're losing but, at the same time, I enjoy playing basketball and I enjoy my teammates. When the time comes and it ends, there's going to be some mixed emotions for sure.''

Bosh stood alone at center court and delivered a brief message to the crowd between player introductions and the opening tip.

``We need your support in the playoffs, so keep cheering,'' Bosh said.

Last week, Bosh admonished Toronto fans for being too quiet during an April 9 home win over Milwaukee, then posted a video on YouTube calling for more noise at the Air Canada Centre.

But there was little for the crowd to cheer about early on in Toronto's last home game of the regular season. Cook went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the first period and Miami made five from beyond the arc to open a 28-25 lead after 12 minutes.

Five Toronto turnovers and six points from reserve Earl Barron helped Miami take a 47-43 lead at the half.

Mitchell called a timeout after Parker's turnover led to a layup by Stephane Lasme, giving the Heat a 51-43 lead at 11:12 of the third.

Toronto responded with a 10-2 run, tying the game at 53, then took a 60-59 lead - its first since the opening quarter - on Parker's 3 with 4:27 left in the period.

``Everybody talks about this Miami team not being so good, but this Miami team took Cleveland down to the wire (Sunday) night,'' Parker said. ``They come out and play great defense and play with high intensity.''

Parker and Nesterovic each had six points in the third quarter as Toronto took a 70-64 lead into the final quarter. Seven turnovers in the fourth period sealed Miami's 67th loss.

``At the wrong time, we started missing and turning the ball over,'' Riley said. ``It's lethal against this team, against any team.''

Notes: Toronto completed the first series sweep over Miami in its 13-year history. ... Jose Calderon had 11 assists. ... Toronto finished 25-16 at home. ... Miami's Kasib Powell had a career-high 10 rebounds.