forward had the cast removed from his surgically-repaired right wrist

Tuesday.

"It's a weight off my shoulders," he said.

The Heat, which ranks third in three-pointers attempted and 15th

in three-point percentage, could use Jones' long-range shooting. But

it will have to wait until mid-January or possibly even February.

Jones, who was third in three-point percentage last season with

Portland, sustained a ruptured tendon in his right (shooting) wrist

during training camp and hasn't played yet.

"It takes four weeks for the tendon to heal and then after that

it's all about flexibility and strength," Jones said.

The Heat's small forward rotation remains stressed without Jones.

After starter Shawn Marion, the Heat has Yakhouba Diawara, but he's

struggled to learn the Heat's defensive system. That's forced Miami to

go with a three-guard lineup that recently has featured 6-foot-5

Daequan Cook defending small forwards. Earlier in the season that job

went to 6-4 Dwyane Wade. Small forward Dorell Wright remains sidelined

after off-season knee surgery.

RAPTORS 101, HEAT 95: Dwyane Wade did all he could. Wade dazzled

with 40 points, 11 assists and a career-high five blocks but that

couldn't offset Toronto going 8-for-8 on three-pointers in the second

half.

The Heat missed its first 11 shots but buckled down on defense to

fuel a 25-7 run that got it an 84-83 lead. But then came the

three-point barrage. Still, coach Erik Spoelstra was encouraged by the

comeback effort. Guards Daequan Cook and Chris Quinn hit big shots.

Shawn Marion had 20 points and 14 rebounds. Even backup center Joel

Anthony, the second-year project from Nevada Las Vegas, got in on the

act by playing solid defense.

"I think that's kind of the fabric of this team," Spoelstra said.

"There's a lot of fight in this team. Hopefully we can build on this."