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Orlando Magic Grades: Miami Heat 108, Orlando Magic 96

By David Iwanowski

Oct 26, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) books Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) shot during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) books Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) shot during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic came out flat in the second half against the Miami Heat, and they will have to fix a few aspects of their game going forward.

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The Orlando Magic allowed the most points in the paint the franchise has ever allowed against the Miami Heat franchise.

Yes, a team that aimed to be built around elite interior defense allowed more points in the paint tonight than the franchise has ever allowed to a team that has featured Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning. That paints a bit of a picture of how rough this game was.

The team started off solid, moving the ball well and getting to the rim. But in the second half the team struggled mightily — scoring only 16 points in the third quarter on a paltry 5-for-20 shooting.

The perimeter defenders let too many guys get by and the help defense was slow. That led to too many easy buckets at the rim.

The offense looked solid, but had trouble finishing all shots, even layups. A positive about the offense was the 28 free throw attempts.

But overall it was not a pretty night for the Magic.

C-. The Magic simply needed more from <strong><a rel=. F/C. Orlando Magic. SERGE IBAKA

B-. <strong><a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC

B-. <strong><a rel=. PG. Orlando Magic. ELFRID PAYTON

A-. The Miami Heat played well tonight, especially after an offseason in which they lost two star players. The attacked the paint well, grabbed a lot of offensive boards, dominated the paint on both ends and did a good job pressuring the Magic on the perimeter.<p>They need to do a better job of contesting shots and not allowing easy layup opportunities, but perhaps they were just not too worried about the Magic hitting shots and they will fix this against other teams. Hassan Whiteside was dominant with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Tyler Johnson came off the bench for 15 points. The Heat just dominated all the hustle stats and did more to win the game. Particularly in that tell-tale third quarter.</p><p>Overall, they impressed.</p>. 1-0. 1st East. MIAMI HEAT