By John Denton Feb. 13, 2017
MIAMI – Once 11-30 and quickly barreling toward their worst season in years, the
Miami Heat stunned the high-powered Houston Rockets on Jan. 17.
At the time, the victory was given little credence because it simply seemed like
one of those blips in the NBA’s marathon-like season when a bad team temporarily
catches fire and surprises a good one on a bad night.
As it turned out that one win proved to be much more than an anomaly. That
surprising victory sparked something within the Heat and ultimately led to an
out-of-nowhere, improbable 13-game winning streak that reversed the direction of
their season.
Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel has pointed to Miami’s about-face for weeks,
stressing to his team that it’s still not too late to save its season. Now,
after the Magic played with purpose and showed a steely resolve all night to
beat the Heat 116-107, Vogel is hopeful that Orlando can put together a
season-saving run just as the Heat did recently.
The much-needed victory allowed Orlando (21-36) to snap a four-game losing
streak and move beyond Saturday’s unsightly 112-80 loss in Dallas. The hope,
now, is that the stirring victory can help the Magic build the confidence needed
to put together a feel-good winning streak like Miami’s.
“Momentum is a crazy thing in this league and one win can do that,” Vogel said
before the game. “It stops the bleeding, stops the pain because it’s no fun
losing in this league, particularly the other night and the way we lost. Losing
at the buzzer or in a blowout, neither is fun. So a win would definitely lift
the spirits for sure.”
The Magic got contributions from all over the roster, riding some stellar play
from Evan Fournier (24 points and two 3-pointers), Elfrid Payton (20 points),
Serge Ibaka (17 points and eight rebounds), Nikola Vucevic (13 points and 17
rebounds), Jeff Green (13 points) and Mario Hezonja (11 points and three
3-pointers).
After Miami had pulled within 108-105 with 90 seconds to play, Fournier attacked
the rim and converted a high-degree-of-difficulty left-handed layup to steady
the Magic. Seconds later, Fournier drilled a clutch 3-pointer to send the Magic
on their way to their second defeat of Miami in three meetings this season.
Orlando made 48.9 percent of its shots and held a commanding 52-37 rebounding
edge on the Heat. A Heat team whose recent winning spree has been fueled by
3-point shooting made just six of 22 shots from beyond the arc.
Miami (24-32) lost for a second consecutive time since ripping off the longest
winning streak in the NBA this season. The Heat fell in Philadelphia on Saturday
night and had trouble with the Magic all night on Monday.
Dion Waiters scored 23 points, but missed four of his five 3-pointers against
the Magic defense. Goran Dragic had 22 points, while center Hassan Whiteside
chipped in 12 points and 19 rebounds. James Johnson scored 15 off the bench,
while Tyler Johnson added 13 points.
Orlando small forward Aaron Gordon played for the first time in four days after
missing two games because of a bone bruise in his right foot. The Magic’s best
defensive player all season played 30 minutes and showed no signs of pain in the
foot. He finished with eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
Monday’s game was the third meeting of the season between the two Sunshine State
rivals. Miami won 108-96 in Orlando on Opening Night at the Amway Center, while
the Magic got a measure of revenge on Dec. 20 when it topped the Heat 136-130 in
double overtime. The two teams will face off for the final time on March 3rd in
Orlando.
Orlando will be back at the Amway Center on Wednesday night to face the San
Antonio Spurs in the final game before the break for the NBA All-Star Game.
Orlando won’t return to practice until Tuesday and their first game after the
all-star break will be Feb. 23 at the Amway Center against the Portland Trail
Blazers.
Up three at the half, Orlando seemed to have withstood Dragic’s buzzer-beater at
the end of the second quarter by staying in front of the Heat. However, Orlando
was burned by a late basket again at the end of the third and it went into the
fourth tied at 87.
When Miami’s James Johnson banked in a 17-footer with 5.3 seconds left in the
third period, Miami got the game tied for the first time since it was 2-2 in the
opening minutes. For weeks, Orlando has had trouble responding to runs by the
opposition. On Monday, the Magic showed great toughness even after the shots by
Dragic and Johnson at the end of quarters.
“A little bit of everything,” Vogel said before the game, referring to what is
needed for his team to stay strong during games. “We have to have the ability
to match the other team’s run, both with execution, competitive spirit plays and
big shot-making and the ability to guard. All of those things contribute to
getting one stop or one bucket that can change momentum.”
Orlando played inspired and gritty basketball in the early going and led 60-57
at the half. However, that edge could have been much larger had the Magic not
given up a 14-3 spurt over the final three minutes of the second quarter. That
run was capped by an end-to-end layup at the buzzer by Dragic – a play that
elicited a disgusted hand wave from Vogel.
The Magic had the lead at the break and was up by as much as 14 twice thanks to
its hustle and toughness on the glass. They outrebounded the Heat 31-16 in the
first 24 minutes, thanks in large part to their 12 boards on the offensive end.
The chasing down of long rebounds and the tap-outs led to Orlando getting up
nine more shots in the first half.
As has been the case all throughout his five seasons with the Magic, Vucevic
dominated play for long stretches against the Heat. He made just one of his
first five shots, but he grabbed 12 boards – four on them offensive rebounds –
in the game’s first 24 minutes.
Vogel’s rotation was much tighter in the early going and he was quicker to go
back to the starters when there were signs of trouble with the reserves on the
floor. Nine Magic players saw time in the first half, led by Fournier’s 12
points and Jeff Green’s 11.
As its done in each of the previous two games, Orlando raced to an early lead –
this time 10-2 to send Miami into an early timeout. It was 31-19 midway through
the first quarter before the Heat rallied.
In the second quarter, the Magic again raced out to a 55-41 edge thanks to a
16-5 run fueled by Green’s drives to the hoop. But just as they did in the first
period, Miami put on a late rally to get back in it behind Waiters (15
first-half points) and Dragic (14 first-half points). Orlando twice fouled
Dragic on 3-point shots, resulting in six of his eight free thros early in the
game.
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the
Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations
staff, partners or sponsors.
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