Heat Take Down Magic in Florida Showdown

The Heat are finally picking up some steam as they defeated the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, 121-95.

Miami has now won three of its last four games. The two sides are now tied atop the Southeast division with 27-24 records. Although the Heat had lost eight of their last 10 games entering Tuesday, they appear to be heading back in the right direction as of late.

Heat Dominate from Start to Finish

The Heat jumped in front at the start of the game and never relinquished the lead. Despite going up by as many as 20 in the first half, Orlando closed the gap to just seven at the half.

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The Magic got within five early in the third, but Miami pushed back to lead 96-75 entering the fourth. Orlando struggled to close the gap in the final quarter, not once getting the deficit below 10 points. The Heat held on to secure the big divisional win.

Game Leaders

Jimmy Butler led the way for Miami with a team-high 23 points. He also added eight rebounds and eight assists. Terry Rozier scored 18 points while All-Star Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro each scored 14 for the Heat. With Adebayo on the floor, the Heat outscored the Magic by 32 points which is the second highest plus-minus for a Miami player this season.

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Paolo Banchero, last year’s Rookie of the Year, scored 23 points. This makes it his 18th consecutive road game in which he has scored at least 20 points. Banchero is now tied with Tracy McGrady for the second longest streak in Magic history.

Markell Fultz and Franz Wagner score 13 points apiece while Wendell Carter Jr. scored 15 for Orlando.

Up Next for the Heat and Magic

The Miami Heat will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday while the Orlando Magic welcome in those same Spurs Thursday night.