The Miami Heat out-muscled the Orlando Magic and used a big third quarter to pull away in its 108-97 victory.
The Orlando Magic gave the Miami Heat two tough quarters of basketball. Orlando led by three at the intermission, but Miami outpaced the Magic 31-12 in the third quarter of the game which ultimately proved to be the deciding stretch of the game.
The Heat held the Magic without a field goal in the final 4:08, ending the quarter on a 12-0 run to put away an undermanned Magic team. Orlando fell to Miami 108-97 at American Airlines Arena, playing without Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic. The team was seemingly scrambling to replace their production and could not sustain things into the second half.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 97 | 99.7 | 46.4 | 29.8 | 15.4 | 33.3 |
| Miami | 108 | 111.9 | 53.1 | 30.0 | 14.5 | 41.3 |
Evan Fournier (ORL) — 20 pts., 7 rebs.; Andrew Nicholson (ORL) — 19 pts.
Hassan Whiteside (MIA) — 26 pts., 12 rebs.; Goran Dragic (MIA) — 22 pts.
The Heat beat the Magic off the dribble into the paint again, and it was opening up a lot for center Hassan Whiteside, who had nine dunks and finished 10 for 15 from the field for 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Magic once again gave up a big night to the opposing center, and even Amar’e Stoudemire was able to get buckets inside against Orlando’s wispy interior defense.
Stoudemire added another 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting as Miami shot 50 percent from the field as a team.
The Heat had 23 assists on their 40 field goals, and the Magic really fell apart in the third quarter while Whiteside was at his best. Dwyane Wade finished with a humble 11-point, four-assist effort, but his play exceeded his stats and he helped keep Orlando’s defense shifting.
The Magic still needed someone to check Wade in this one with Victor Oladipo missing the game with a wrist injury sustained in Wednesday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The Magic once again shot the ball relatively coldly and hit just 6 of 18 from 3-point range. Evan Fournier was 6 for 17 from the field and led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Mario Hezonja, starting in Oladipo’s place, had eight points on 4-for-11 shooting. But he played largely mistake-free, committing just two turnovers in 37 minutes of play. Hezonja took a few pretty questionable shots, but he is playing within himself and he appears to be getting more comfort still. His quick trigger has bailed the Magic out a number of times, though he is taking some pretty tough looks on bailout jumpers.
Andrew Nicholson had a nice game off the bench for the Magic with 19 points and six rebounds. He connected on 8 for 12 from the floor and 2 for 5 from 3-point range. Nicholson has nights like this to be sure when he gets playing time. At this point it is hard to read much more into it than that.
He has now shown these flashy nights on and off for four seasons, and it seems this may be nothing more than his swan song with the Orlando Magic.
The Magic made the Heat work for victory in this one, but ultimately the Magic need both Oladipo and Vucevic.
The Magic have now been without Vucevic for 12 games, and the offense is in need of its leading scorer. The Magic need Vucevic’s mid-range offensive game and consistent offense to bail them out of cold snaps and put pressure on the defense to react to kickouts. Too often in the third quarter, the Heat were content to give up Jason Smith open mid-range jumpers that just would not fall.
There is no illusion this team is good enough that it can tick without its best offensive talent.
Of course, the Magic are officially now playing for nothing. With the Detroit Pistons’ win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Magic are now officially eliminated from the Playoffs.
That makes it somewhat questionable that the team even puts Vucevic back on the court — although Skiles said they would if he is ready to play. Orlando falls to 11-26 on the road this season and the Magic have to find some way to salvage the remaining 10 games with some much needed victories.