Miami slip to third straight loss against Magic
The Miami Heat hasn’t had a great start to the season, and things took a turn for the worse, as the Orlando Magic handed Miami their third straight loss 104-95.
It is the season's first three game losing streak for Miami’s all-star trio of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, on a night when they hardly played like a team that can seriously challenge for the championship.
The Heat had suffered back-to-back defeats against Memphis and Indiana last week, but the loss against their state rivals must hurt the most. They have now slumped to a record of 8-7 for the season with this defeat, and the high-profile Heat surely have
a lot of ground to cover now.
Key Players
Dwight Howard scored 24 points, shooting 8-for-13 and complemented it with 18 rebounds, with Jonathan Redick scoring 20 points including 3-for-8 from behind the arc to lead the Orlando offense.
It was Jameer Nelson though, who made it count when it really mattered. The phenomenal guard scored 11 of his 17 points in the nervy fourth period, and also finished with a career high 14 assists. While Brendon Bass also scored 18 points, as the Orlando
Magic quashed a late surge from Miami to beat them 104-95.
LeBron James and Chris Bosh led the scoring for the Heat with 25 and 21 points each, as Dwyane Wade had another off night, managing just 18 points on a lackluster 6-for-21 shooting.
First Half
The match started at a cracking pace with both teams vying for dominance in the early stages. The advantage shifted from one end to the other, and the teams were locked at 16-all eight minutes into the first quarter.
Dwight Howard slipped in a lay-up shot to inject some pace into the Magic ranks, and Brendon Bass made three consecutive shots, as Orlando went on an 8-0 run late in the quarter to finish at 26-18.
Trailing Orlando by eight points, Miami scored a flurry of points early in the second quarter, to reduce the deficit to just three points. The Magic responded immediately, and outscored the Heat 15-6 midway through the quarter, to lead 43-31 with 3:54 remaining
until half-time. Miami managed to drag themselves back into the game, as the teams went to the locker rooms at 51-43.
Second Half
The Heat began the second half, determined not to allow Orlando to run away with the game. They increased the pressure on the Magic defence, outscoring them 28-23 in the third quarter, to get to within striking distance at 71-74 going into the final period
of play.
The Magic fought back at the start of the fourth quarter, and a Mickael Pietrus three pointer helped Orlando wrest the initiative back at 84-76, or so the Magic thought. The Heat then sprang to life as they went on a 12-3 run, capped by a Dwyane Wade free-throw,
which gave them a one-point advantage with 6:48 left on the clock.
With the Magic showing signs of anxiety, Jameer Nelson came to their rescue and made three crucial shots to mastermind an 8-0 spurt, which took the steam out of the Miami offence.
Miami tried to rally back in the dying moments, but they were desperately off target as, Orlando avenged their 26-point defeat earlier in the season.
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