Game review: Magic (40-20) 96, Heat (29-31) 80
Despite Dwyane Wade's unexpected return from injury and Dwight Howard's sub-par game, the Magic received balanced scoring and an excellent defense effort in holding Miami to 32 second half points in the victory.
The Magic led by no ore than 5 points and the Heat no more than 4 points in the first quarter as the Magic led after one 26-24. The Magic led 33-26 in the second quarter but saw the Heat come back to lead 40-38. The Magic then went on a 14-5 run to lead 52-45 before settling for a 52-48 halftime lead. The Heat came as close as 59-58 with 5:34 remaining but the Magic went on a 17-6 tun to end the third and led 76-64 going into the fourth. The Magic maintained a double digit lead in the fourth quarter until 2:08 remaining when the Heat came to within 88-80, but the Heat would not score again for the rest of the game.
Magic leading scorers
Rashard Lewis: 22 points (8 of 14 FGs, 2 of 7 3 PT FGs)
Vince Carter: 17 points (7 of 10 FGs, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs), 2 steals
J.J. Redick (bench): 15 points (3 of 7 FG, 2 of 4 3 PT FGs, 7 of 7 FTs)
Jameer Nelson: 12 points (3 of 8 FGs, 5 of 6 FTs) 4 assists, 1 turnover
Overall Game Statistics
FG%: ORL 45.7% (32 of 70) MIA 39% (30 of 77)
3 PT FG%: MIA 37.5% (6 of 16) ORL 29.2% (7 of 24)
FT%: ORL 83.3% (25 of 30) MIA 77.8% (14 of 18)
REB: MIA 38 (11 offensive) ORL 37 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: MIA 17/15 ORL 15/8
BENCH: ORL 34 MIA 23
Other game notes and stats:
-Dwight Howard saw his Magic team-record of 20 straight double/doubles come to an end, as he had 7 points on 1 of 7 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks as he played just 25 minutes and wound up with 5 fouls
-Marcin Gortat, in 23 minutes of playing time due to Howard's foul trouble, played well with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks
-Carter and Lewis combined to score 39 points for the Magic on 15 of 24 shooting compared to their 17 point effort on 6 of 21 shooting Friday
-Wade, in his return, led Miami with 21 points but shot just 6 of 17 with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers and scored just 4 second half points; Jermaine O'Neal added 16 points and 6 rebounds
-Former Magic PG Rafer Alston, shooting just over 34% entering the game, scored 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting, including 4 of 6 on threes
-Quentin Richardson led the Heat with 10 rebounds
-Last year's second pick of the draft, Michael Beasley, scored just 1 point in 18 minutes
-The Magic made just 1 of their first 10 three pointers, then made 6 of their final 14 attempts
-The Magic outscored the Heat 44-32 in the second half
-Matt Barnes led the Magic with 8 rebounds
-Brandon Bass was the reserve PF for the Magic instead of Ryan Anderson and scored 2 points with 3 rebounds in 16 minutes
Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com.
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 10:50 PM
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represent their home state well, and on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, they each will have the opportunity to do that at Amway Arena. The Heat have won both meetings this season, the first on Nov. 25 in Orlando and the second on Dec. 17 in Miami. Dwyane Wade has always played spectacular against the Magic. The MVP of the 2010 All-Star Game and 2006 NBA Finals MVP racked up 50 points in O-Town last season. Recently, however, Wade has been out of the lineup with a mild strained left calf muscle, and he is doubtful for tonight's game. The Heat are coming off a miserable 94-71 home loss to Milwaukee Saturday.
Arena two weeks ago, make sure your refrigerator is filled with all the necessary snacks required for a heart-thumping, unruly and turbulent extravaganza. In their last game, the Magic and Hornets competed in an all-time classic. Behind Vince Carter’s historic 48-point performance, Orlando rallied from behind to defeat New Orleans. The Hornets, as a result, will have revenge on their agenda this time around. The Hornets have been rejuvenated by the extraordinary play from rookie sensation Darren Collison. The point guard out of UCLA recorded his first career triple-double against Indiana last Friday and followed with a 26-point, nine-assist effort against Houston last Sunday. With Paul’s return on the horizon, it will be interesting to see what the Hornets do with him and Collison in the lineup. The Magic, meanwhile, hope to re-establish their dominance on the road. Orlando is 17-13 away from Amway Arena this season.
momentum when they visit the Houston Rockets (28-27, 15-12 home) at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. In their only meeting with the Rockets this season, the Magic rolled to a 102-87 home victory. Eight-time All-Star Vince Carter led a balanced Orlando scoring attack in that affair, posting a team-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Houston had no answer for Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard, who notched 13 points, 20 rebounds and four blocked shots. While things have been going extremely well for Orlando, which has won 12 of its past 16 games, Houston has struggled to find consistency. The Rockets have won just four of their last 13 contests and are coming off two straight losses to the Hornets and Pacers. Houston, which participated in a three-team trade right before the deadline, is still looking to get newcomers like Kevin Martin and Jared Jeffries properly implemented into its rotation.
wouldn’t have to see him again any time soon. The Dallas Mavericks (33-21, 17-12 road), the Magic’s opponent on Friday, cancelled that idea however when they acquired Butler from the Washington Wizards during the All-Star break. Some hoops analysts suggest that the addition of Butler along with Brendan Haywood catapults the Mavericks into the elite class of the Western Conference. They now feature a lineup that includes Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Butler and Haywood. Not bad at all. Orlando (37-18, 21-5 home) will certainly need to deliver its A game, and it all starts with Dwight Howard. The MVP candidate has been extraordinary as of late – recording 16 straight double-doubles. This matchup will also be an intriguing test to see how the Magic respond against one of the West’s best. The last time they competed against a first-rate Western Conference squad, the Magic played very well. Despite falling short against the L.A. Lakers in the finale of a West Coast road trip recently, Orlando showed it can keep up with the upper echelon teams. The Magic will also be looking for some revenge. They lost to the Mavericks at home last season.
postseason on Wednesday when they host the rival Detroit Pistons (19-33, 6-18 road) for the final time this season at 7 p.m. ET. After dropping their first matchup in Detroit this season, the Magic have rattled off two straight victories against the Pistons. In their last meeting on Jan. 31, superstar center Dwight Howard erupted for 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots to help Orlando earn a 91-86 road win and secure Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy's place in the All-Star Game. The Magic will need another superb performance out of Howard if they hope to notch a victory against an opponent that always brings a high level of intensity and finds a way to give them trouble. "That is how they play," Van Gundy said about Detroit. "They play very, very hard." While Orlando is looking to build upon on the first half of its season, the Pistons are attempting to put their pre-All-Star performance behind them. Perennial playoff-contender Detroit finds itself with the fourth-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
has the upper hand in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers (42-11, 23-3 home) and Magic (36-17, 16-12 road), each seeded No. 1 and 2 respectively in the East at the beginning of the week, will clash in a pivotal meeting on Thursday, the final night before the All-Star break, at 8 p.m. ET in the Forest City. This will be the second meeting between these two clubs this season. The Cavaliers won in O-Town in November. Last season, Cleveland and Orlando battled in a memorable playoff series, featuring extraordinary comebacks by the Magic, a game-winning buzzer-beater by LeBron James and a monster performance by Dwight Howard to seal Orlando’s trip to the NBA Finals. Unlike 2008-09, however, each team’s roster is vastly different. The Cavs possess one of the game’s all-time greatest centers in Shaquille O’Neal and the Magic have eight-time All-Star Vince Carter to go along with a deeper bench. Although they will be exhausted playing for the fifth time in seven days, the Magic understand how important this game is and one can expect them to come out with a vengeance in front of a national audience. This is a can’t-miss showdown for Magic fans.
guests, the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics will continue their riveting rivalry at TD Garden. Unquestionably the most popular and television-watched sports day of the year, this afternoon contest will be seen in the national spotlight. As a result, it will be the perfect time for the Magic to demonstrate that they are the supreme reigning Eastern Conference champions. Recently, Orlando (33-17, 14-12 road) overcame a 16-point deficit to stun Boston(32-16, 15-8 home) at Amway Arena on Jan. 28. Rashard Lewis connected on a game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining to catapult the Magic to a thrilling triumph. Dwight Howard enjoyed a spectacular night, racking up 19 points and 10 rebounds against a clan of big, strong combatants (Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace). Inside the Celtics locker room, moreover, revenge will likely be preached and commanded. In addition to losing to the Magic in the playoffs last season, Boston has struggled against its adversaries. Sliding down in the standings, the C’s realize how important a victory on Sunday will be to regain their swagger. The Magic, on the other hand, recently cruising and elevating their position in the conference, want to hammer down on one of their main competitors. It’s no secret that confidence is essential come the postseason, and if they continue their dominance against the Celtics, the Magic will certainly be undaunted if a trip to The Finals comes down to these two powers. The Celtics' Paul Pierce hopes to return Sunday after missing two games with a foot injury.
