TORONTO - With recent history heavily favouring the visiting team, the Raptors (6-8) will welcome the Miami Heat (12-3) back to the Air Canada Centre tonight in the hopes of knocking off the defending champions for the first time in nearly four years. Babe Ruth Jersey . Dont miss a single shot, live on TSN beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Winners of their last eight games, the Heat return to Toronto for the second time in the month of November. After beginning the season 4-3, allowing 100.9 points on 47 per cent shooting, Miamis resurgent defence has vaulted them back to the top of a weak Eastern Conference. Teams are scoring just 91.9 points, shooting 42 per cent against the Heat during their streak. "Its significant in the fact that youre playing against the championship team," Dwane Casey said of a match-up with the Heat, who have won their last 12 meetings with the Raptors - including six straight in Toronto - most recently a 104-95 victory on Nov. 5. "You can measure yourself a little bit, see where you are as a player, see where you are as a team but its not going to define our season, win or lose." The Raptors havent defeated Miami since Jan. 27, 2010, the winter before LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. Although each of their scoring averages are down from a year ago, all three of the Heats all-stars are shooting above 50 per cent this season. Toronto nearly clawed back from a 15-point deficit in the final three minutes of Tuesdays contest at home to the struggling Nets. Instead, a missed Amir Johnson three-point attempt at the buzzer sealed the teams disappointing 102-100 loss. "We take two steps forward and we take a half a step back," Casey said, his team allowing Brooklyn to shoot 51 per cent Tuesday. "Thats the mark of a young team, trying to find themselves. But you can say that about a lot of teams in the league." "Its a trend in the NBA, period," he continued. "Theres probably three-to-four teams that can say, this is who we are and [are] playing that way. Theres a lot of teams, for whatever reason and specifically in the Eastern Conference, that are trying to find who they are and what they want to be." One month into the season, the Heat are one of only two Eastern Conference teams with a record above .500 and one of four teams - including the Raptors - with a positive point differential. "I dont think anybody really saw it coming," Chris Bosh said of the weak conference. "A lot of teams have struggled early. Its down a little bit but its a long season, Im sure a lot of teams will turn their fate around and start playing better basketball." Bosh is averaging 19.6 points in seven career games against the Raptors, his former team. He didnt play in the first meeting this season following the birth of his daughter. Trends and Tidbits DeMar DeRozan has led the Raptors in scoring in four of the last five games. Averaging 28.6 points in those contests, the Raptors guard leads in the NBA in scoring since Nov. 5. DeRozan is shooting 52 per cent from the field and 13-of-25 beyond the arch over that stretch. He has hit three or more treys in three of the last five games, a feat he has accomplished six times in the last 17 contests - dating back to last season - after doing so just twice in the first 311 games of his career. Kyle Lowry has led the Raptors in assists in each of the last six contests. He has recorded 49 assists with just 10 turnovers during that stretch. The Raptors can finish with seven wins in October/November for the first time since 2009 with a victory on Friday. What to Watch For Defending home court With perhaps their most complete efforts coming on the road - in Memphis and Philadelphia - the Raptors have struggled to maintain their focus on home court this season. They have an identical record at home (3-4) as they do away from Toronto and they have lost three of their last four at the ACC. "Our focus is not where it needs to be at home," Casey admitted after practice on Thursday. "Its hard to say [why]. I think its easy and kind of human nature to relax at home a little bit, thinking home is going to take care of you but the main thing is, you need to take care of home." Taking care of the ball The Raptors trailed by just four points after three quarters in the previous meeting with Miami before nine fourth-quarter turnovers - they had six in the first 36 minutes - ignited the Heat, who began to pull away. "We didnt take care of the ball," Casey said of that game. "They fuel their offence off of turnovers and that was our Achilles heel against this team the last time we played them." "You should be on high alert the entire time," he continued. "I think teams get fired up to play them, you lose a little focus whether they turn it up or not. I wouldnt say they take possessions off but they know when to turn it on and off and thats a characteristic of a good team. They know what possessions are important and what possessions arent important and believe me, theyre dialled in when they need to be dialled in." Who to Watch For Rudy Gay Immediately after Tuesdays loss to Brooklyn, a game in which he shot 3-of-12 and deferred to Johnson on the deciding possession, Gay went up to the teams practice facility where he spent the evening shooting. "The only thing I could do after that game was just go in and shoot some jump shots, get it off my head and also work on my game," said Gay, who is averaging just 14.7 points on 34 per cent shooting in his last three games. Although the Raptors forward generally gets up for match-ups opposite top tiered wing players and played well against James and the Heat last season, he struggled in defeat earlier this month. Gay was just 3-for-10, scoring 13 points and registered four turnovers - he leads the team with 48 total - in the Nov. 5 loss to Miami. "Ive never questioned Rudys commitment, not at all," Casey said. "Is he shooting the ball the way he wants to? No. But thats what he has to do, is work at that pace. Ive mentioned it to him, youve got to shoot at that fourth-quarter tempo when you work on your game at night time. Youve got to shoot it like its the game winning shot." LeBron James James has been dominant in every facet of the game during Miamis winning streak. Over the last eight games, the four-time MVP is averaging 27.6 points, connecting on 61 per cent of his field goals. Guarded primarily by Gay, James tallied 35 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against the Raptors earlier in November. "We know what LeBron likes to do," Johnson said. "The focal point is going to be on him. We might throw different looks at him, double teams." Injury Report Raptors forward Quincy Acy will be a game-time decision with a sprained right ankle that has kept him out of the last three contests. Steven Wright Jersey . Patty Mills scored 15 points, Tim Duncan had 10 points and 11 rebounds in limited minutes, and San Antonio trailed for only 11 seconds late in the first quarter of a 103-90 victory over Portland on Wednesday night. Shane Victorino Jersey . - Mathew Barzal scored 3:47 into overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds downed the visiting Everett Silvertips 4-3 on Tuesday in Western Hockey League playoff action. http://www.officialredsoxfanstore.com/authentic-andrew-benintendi-red-sox-jersey/ . -- The Chiefs have signed seven players to reserve/future contracts, including running back Joe McKnight, a former fourth-round pick of the New York Jets. VAL THORENS, France -- Canadas Marielle Thompson can rest easy knowing that she has locked up a spot for Sochi. Teammates Kelsey Serwa, Dave Duncan and Brady Leman are virtual locks to join her. As for the rest of the Canadians on the deep national skicross team, they have a long, anxious weekend of waiting ahead of them. The Olympic qualification window for skicross closes Sunday, so Fridays race served as the last chance for Canadians to qualify for nomination. The 26-athlete freestyle team roster for the Winter Games will be announced Monday. Skicross is one of five disciplines that fall under the freestyle umbrella so inclusion could be tough. There are several World Cup events scheduled for this weekend so it remains unclear who will make the cut. "Im sure a lot of (the athletes) will have empty stomachs depending on where they sit on that bubble," Canada Ski Cross director Dave Ellis said on a conference call. "Depending whos in the rankings behind them and how they perform, thats going to make a difference for sure." Thompson, from Whistler, B.C., won gold Friday at the FIS Audi Val Thorens World Cup to extend her lead atop the womens overall standings. "I didnt really feel anyone too close to me today," she said. Duncan, from London, Ont., moved back on top of the mens standings with a bronze medal. Leman, from Calgary, took fourth place and Montreal resident Chris Del Bosco was fifth. "The competition from within the team is what drives the succcess, so its fun," said head coach Eric Archer. Pedro Martinez Jersey. Del Bosco won gold in the first of back-to-back races a day earlier. The race was cut short due to high winds so the veteran skier was given top spot due to his strong performance in the qualifications and first heat. Del Bosco, who finished fourth at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, has struggled this season. He had not cracked the top 10 until this week and it remains to be seen whether he has done enough to get a spot on the Sochi nomination list. "I did pretty much everything I could this weekend to give myself a shot," Del Bosco said. "At the end of the day thats all I can really do." Danielle Sundquist of Calgary and Georgia Simmerling of West Vancouver, B.C., are also on the bubble. Sundquist finished fifth on Friday and Simmerling was seventh. Serwa skipped Fridays race. The qualification process is very complicated. Athletes from slopestyle, aerials, moguls and halfpipe will also be included on the freestyle team and Canada is strong in all of those events. Of the 26 spots available in the five disciplines, there can be no more than 14 selections from either gender. The selection committee will look at results from previous years but performances this season have the biggest impact. The depth of the national skicross team and the Canadian freestyle team as a whole leaves athletes who are on the bubble in a tough spot. 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