The Miami heat bounce back and get a win at the hands of the Orlando Magic Friday night, 99-96, as it was the third game of this week's home stand. It came down to the wire as Bam Adebayo hit the go-ahead jumper to put Miami ahead by one-point, then Haywood Highsmith would drain two clutch free throws to put the game on ice.
Duncan Robinson led the team with 23 points as he shot nine of 19 from the field and 40 percent from deep. Adebayo was second in scoring with 21 points, collected 11 rebounds, and recorded seven assists. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. also had 19 points while collecting seven rebounds.
On the Magic's side, star Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 25 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. After him, it was Mo Wagner, Chuma Okeke and Joe Ingles who would contribute 19, 16, and 14 points respectively.
How did the Heat squeak by the Magic for the tight win? Here are three takeaways from the win Friday night:
Heat starting hot in the first period, not so much in the second
It was a solid first period for Miami to get it started as they scored 30 points while only allowing 22 to the Magic who can be explosive. As Jovic started the game with a three, Robinson followed by hitting back to back deep shots to start the momentum shift for the team to get into flow.
Eight players were in for the Heat in the first period and seven of them got a chance to make a basket which really separated themselves from Orlando. Banchero would get his with seven points in the quarter and Chuma Okeke got eight, but everybody else on the Magic were kept in check.
The second quarter saw Miami slip just enough as they built a 10-point lead, but it dwindled late in the period when the Magic took a lead before the Heat could take a one-point lead into halftime. The one bright spot was Jaquez who scored 12 in the quarter alone, making all of his six shots. Other than that, there were a ton of missed opportunities to sustain their lead.
There could be a lot of reasons to the slip of performance in the second period as the Heat are still dealing with the absences of Butler, Lowry, and Herro. They will need a better second half offensively, especially from Adebayo as besides his nine rebounds and five assists til that point, he only has six points.
A gritty second half for Miami and Orlando
The third quarter was the equivalent to a low-scoring football game where it came down to the trenches of the defense. Neither team got 20 points in the quarter leading to a one-point lead for Miami entering the fourth quarter. Miami shot 30 percent from the field, while shooting 20 percent from three-point range. Orlando on the other hand shot 38.9 percent from the field and 27.3 from deep.
Even missing key components like mentioned before, the Heat are very competitive against a Magic squad that has found success in the early parts of the season. Once again, Heat enter the fourth quarter with a close lead. The goal has been to build and sustain leads, but play has slipped in the last period.
The fourth quarter was just as if not more gritty than the third period as it became a game if who can outlast the other. It would eventually be the Heat as the contest came down to the last two possessions of the game.
With Miami missing Butler and Herro, they had to find someone to put the team ahead when they were down one-point. Besides the two aforementioned stars that are absent, the third one is easily Adebayo and got his call made to put them ahead. One jumper later and he did.
It wasn't over yet as Orlando needed Banchero to give them the lead, but he missed twice leading the ball into Haywood Highsmith's hands to put the game farther away as he went to the free throw line. He would sink two clutch free throws and make it a three-point game.
Banchero got one more chance and couldn't make it, the Heat hold on to win. It was a sloppy performance, but a win nonetheless.
Finishing off the home stand strong
With the tight win to the Magic, that puts the Heat at 3-1 on the current home stand with a very winnable game against the Charlotte Hornets up next. There is a lot to build on for the Heat as it was an overall sloppy outing for Miami, but they can take any win they can get as they continue to miss crucial players.
Butler has the chance to come back Sunday or Monday on the road against the Brooklyn Nets as he has missed 10 of the last 11 games from a toe ailment. The injury for Herro will be further monitored as the team approaches Sunday, but he was originally listed as questionable going into the game, so one might assume it isn't that serious.
The win brings the Heat to a 22-16 record as entering in the game, they were seventh in the Eastern Conference. With the majority of the rest of the month inside the Kaseya Center, this is a prime opportunity to rack up wins and secure a seeding spot almost halfway into the season.
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