James Jones' return to the Heat remains a couple of months away, but he's moving in the right direction. The sweet-shooting small 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."
