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James leads Miami past Toronto

Nov 6, 2013 - 5:36 AM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - The Miami Heat finally overcame a slow start on the road and LeBron James set another milestone.

James became the fifth player in NBA history to score 10 or more points in 500 straight games and the Heat beat the Toronto Raptors, 104-95, on Tuesday.

James, who joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (787 and 508 games), Michael Jordan (866), Karl Malone (575) and Moses Malone (526) as the only other players to accomplish the feat, had a season-high 35 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists.

"When I see a stat like that, I'm like 'Wow,' because I know the history of the game, I know the guys who paved the way for myself and my teammates," James said.

James reached double figures following a putback dunk with 2:31 left in the first quarter.

Miami, which tallied its first road win, fell into a 19-0 hole in Philadelphia, an 11-3 deficit in Brooklyn and trailed 9-2 early on in this one.

Heat forward Chris Bosh didn't travel with the team for Tuesday's game against his former squad following the birth of his daughter. Bosh, who played for the Raptors from 2003-10, is averaging 19.8 points and 6.8 rebounds this season.

Dwyane Wade registered 20 points, six boards and five helpers for the Heat, who have defeated Toronto 12 straight times.

"Finally we got a road win against a quality opponent, they're a tough team," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said.

DeMar DeRozan poured in 21 points, while Rudy Gay finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which fell to 2-2 on the young campaign.

Gay had the final five points of a 14-4 run to tie the game at 71-71 with three minutes left in the third, but Miami countered with a 19-3 surge that bridged into the fourth quarter and helped it seize control.

Wade's turnaround fade-away from the left wing at the third quarter buzzer gave the Heat a 78-74 cushion heading into the final frame where Miami scored the first 10 points.

James' layup capped the swing and made it 90-74 with 7:47 left.

An 8-0 Toronto spurt pulled the hosts within six with less than two minutes remaining, but James' three-point play and Ray Allen's triple put the game away.

"We were only six down," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. " We have to make shots late in games to stay in games."

Earlier, after Toronto took a 25-23 lead after a quarter of play, Miami closed the first half on an 18-5 run as Mario Chalmers' trey at the first half horn staked the Heat a 52-50 spread.

Game Notes

James has reached the double-digit mark in scoring in every game since netting eight against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 5, 2007. He has scored double-digit points in every game of his career but eight ... Miami had 31 assists on 41 made field goals.