Wade, who was 17-of-23 from the floor, became the first player to have two 40-point games against the Raptors in the same season.

The Raptors, who were playing the Heat (33-28) for the first time since a Feb. 13 trade sent Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon to Miami for Marion and Marcus Banks, were led on the scoresheet by Chris Bosh, who had 34 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Andrea Bargnani had 23 points, Anthony Parker had 16 and Marion and Jason Kapono put up 10 each.

New acquisition Pops Mensah-Bonsu chipped in four points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Raptors.

The Raptors acquired the six-foot-10 centre yesterday and signed him to a contract for the remainder of the season. The 25-year-old was released by the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Michael Beasley had 12 points off the bench, Chris Quinn, Mario Chambers, and Udonis Haslem added 10 points each. O'Neal finished with eight points and four blocks for the Heat.

The Raptors had hoped a game with the Heat, who they had beaten in six consecutive meetings coming in, and seven out of the past eight, would help put the memories of a miserable western road swing behind them. But home hasn't exactly been a safe haven this season for the Raptors, who are now 12-17 at the ACC.

It was an unfortunate start to what is a crucial homestand for the Raptors. Toronto now has 10 games remaining in March; eight at home, including a stretch of five in a row to close out the month. If the Raptors are to have any hope of capturing a spot in the post-season, they need to win a majority of those games.

Raptors coach Jay Triano had said prior to the start of the game that he wanted his team to try to contain Wade and keep him off balance, but the plan never really worked out.

"We just have to try to give him some different looks, mix things up a little. Not give him the same guy in front of him, show him as many bodies as we can and try to keep him on the outside and challenge his shots . . . the same thing you do when you are playing Kobe and Lebron, but he's in that category,'' Triano said.

The Raptors tried to stage a comeback in the fourth after falling behind by as much as 15 points after Wade hit a three-pointer for the biggest lead of the night, but they fell short.

It looked from the outset as if it was going to be a long night for the Raptors.

They were stuffed twice on their first possession and the Heat went up 6-0 before coach Jay Triano called a timeout.

But by the time the first quarter had ended the Raptors had gone up 24-22, on nine points from Bargnani, including a three-pointer. The Heat rebuilt its original six-point lead by the half, going up 56-50.

Wade led all players with 21 points in the half on 9-for-11 shooting.

The trade for Marion was supposed to kick start the Raptors' final sprint for a playoff spot, but despite the strong play by the 30-year-old forward, Toronto has lost six of eight matches since his arrival.