Magic-Heat Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Mar 17 2012 4:31PM

It might not give the Miami Heat much comfort to know Dwight Howard will remain with the Orlando Magic through next season, especially after his performance in last week's matchup.

The All-Star center will try to lead Orlando to another win over the Heat and help end their lengthy home win streak Sunday while snapping his string of subpar scoring performances in Miami.

Howard matched a season high with 25 rebounds and scored 24 points during a 104-98 overtime victory at home against the Heat on Tuesday night. After that win, he announced that he would take back his preseason trade request and remain with the team through this season.

Howard made an even bigger commitment when he chose to waive the early termination clause in his contract just before Thursday's trade deadline, meaning he would stay in Orlando at least until his deal ends in 2013.

The next day, he scored a team-best 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting during an easy 86-70 victory over New Jersey in front of a grateful home crowd.

"Everybody feels at peace for now," forward Glen Davis said. "Dwight did a really good job of following his heart and doing what's best for him and this team. He believes in this team."

The win was Orlando's fourth in five games following a 5-4 stretch that began with a 90-78 defeat in Miami on Feb. 19. The Magic shot 36.5 percent during its only loss in the past four meetings with the Heat.

While it's had success in recent matchups with Miami, Orlando (29-16) hasn't won the season series since 2008-09.

One reason why may be that Howard has failed to reach 20 points in any of his last five visits to Miami, averaging 14.4 in that span. The only Eastern Conference city where he has a lower average over the past three seasons is Detroit (14.3).

The Heat are allowing just 89.3 points per game during their 12-game home win streak. It's their longest since a 14-game run Jan. 22-March 16, 2007.

Miami (32-11), which has a four-game lead over Orlando in the division, is coming off a 1-2 road trip against the other three top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Heat avoided going winless on that trek by holding on for an 84-78 victory over Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia on Friday.

Miami led by 29 points early in the third quarter but scored 25 over the final 23 minutes. The 76ers, though, got no closer than four points.

"It's never good to give up a 20-point lead," said LeBron James, who had 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. "But when you have to close out a game, it's good to see you can keep the lead and win."

Dwyane Wade was held to 12 points - his fewest in two months - and shot 6 for 16 but had a season-high 11 boards and six assists. He's averaged 29.3 points on 58.0 percent shooting against Orlando this season.

James had 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting in Miami's lone win in the season series, compared to an average of 18.0 in the two losses while shooting 12 for 35 (34.3 percent).

Howard has averaged 20.3 points and shot 62.2 percent versus Miami this season while averaging 21.3 rebounds, his best mark against any opponent.

Wade, Bosh carry Heat past Magic, 91-81

By TIM REYNOLDS
Posted Mar 18 2012 11:02PM

MIAMI (AP) Chris Bosh got the Miami Heat started. Dwyane Wade provided the big finish.

Wade scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, Bosh made his first six shots and finished with 23 and the Heat held off the Orlando Magic 91-81 on Sunday night for their 13th straight win at home.

LeBron James finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals for the Heat. His pass with 3:46 left made it past two Magic defenders and set up Bosh for perhaps the clincher, a three-point play that stretched Miami's lead to 84-73.

"He's the biggest piece of our team," James said of Bosh. "And when he's going, we're very dangerous. ... That's what it was all about tonight."

Well, that and defense. Orlando scored 12 points in a span of nearly 16 minutes in the second half, finishing with its lowest point total in 11 games.

"Our effort defensively early in the game was not there," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We did not come to play. That's inexcusable particularly playing on the road against a team this good and then the 20 turnovers."

Dwight Howard finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Orlando. Quentin Richardson was 5 for 7 on 3-pointers for a 15-point night for the Magic, who split four games with Miami this season, both teams going 2-0 at home.

The win kept Miami (33-11) one game in the loss column behind Chicago (37-10) for the NBA's best record and top Eastern Conference seed.

It was a 69-68 game before Wade made back-to-back shots to give Miami some breathing room, and the Heat never gave up control again. Wade wound up scoring 12 straight Miami points, and his assist set up Shane Battier's 3-pointer that made it 87-75 with 2 minutes left.

"I don't think (Wade) ever had a bad game against us," Van Gundy said. "Every game he's played it's been a great game. We never do a decent job on him."

James reached double digits for his 400th straight regular-season game, a streak beginning Jan. 6, 2007. According to STATS LLC, he became the first player since January 2010 to have at least 14 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a game.

"If I'm not getting going it scoring, it's time to focus on something else," James said. "I try to be a complete basketball player."

Jameer Nelson scored 13 points and Jason Richardson added 12 for the Magic. After a three-game road trip last week that started by getting outrebounded by 10 in Orlando - then by 16 in Chicago and 12 in Philadelphia - the Heat outrebounded Orlando 42-36.

And they kept Howard in some sort of check: In Orlando's two wins over Miami this season, Howard averaged 24.5 points and 24.5 rebounds. In the two Heat wins, Howard averaged `only' 15 points and 13 rebounds.

"It's the small things that matter in games like this," Howard said.

Like getting breaks - which Bosh got on his first shot.

His first attempt of the night slipped from his hands, went about two stories in the air and somehow dropped through the net. He wound up making his first six shots, after going a combined 7 for 27 in his previous two games.

"I was kind of like, `Awww, here we go again,"' Bosh said. "And it went in. I said, `All right.' Sometimes you need those, man. I hadn't gotten one all year. I thank the basketball gods and it was good from then on."

The Heat made 12 of 18 shots in the first quarter, running out to a 31-22 lead that had Van Gundy lamenting in a television interview between quarters that his team "didn't do anything well - nothing."

His assessment had to change from there, thanks to what Orlando started doing on the defensive end.

It took Miami the next 19-plus minutes to match what it scored in the opening 12, as the Magic steadily made what was as much as a 13-point deficit disappear. The Heat lead was only 50-47 at the break - a three-point play by Wade with inside of a minute left provided that margin - and Miami went on to miss eight straight shots early in the third quarter.

Even then, it was still nip-and-tuck, the Magic unable to take full advantage of the Heat going cold.

Jason Richardson's basket and foul with 8:26 left in the third gave Orlando what was then its biggest lead, 57-54. Then it was Orlando's turn to sputter offensively, scoring just six points in the remainder of the period, which was capped by James banking in an 18-footer with just under a second left for a 67-63 Miami lead.

Then Wade gave Miami just enough in the fourth, and the Heat didn't mind another grind-it-out evening.

"You have to weather a lot of storms when you play the Orlando Magic," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And you have to stay the course."

Notes: Tennis star Andy Murray sat courtside. ... Bosh had 18 points at halftime, matching his second-best opening 24 minutes of the season. The Heat are now 15-2 this season when Bosh is in double digits by halftime. ... Heat assistant coach Bob McAdoo (deep vein thrombosis) and reserve center Eddy Curry (death of a grandmother) were back with the team after missing time last week. ... Nelson missed about 6 minutes in the first quarter after being inadvertently poked in the eye by Heat center Joel Anthony.

Notebook: Heat 91, Magic 81

Posted Sunday March 18, 2012 10:53PM

By Shandel Richardson, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 91-81 Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Guard Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 31 points on 13-of-25 shooting. The Heat were able to survive despite a subpar scoring effort from forward LeBron James, who finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. With James handling the intangibles, forward Chris Bosh picked up the scoring load.

Bosh finished with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The Heat led by as many as 13 in the first half before Orlando closed the gap before halftime. It wasn't until a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter before the Heat were able to relax.

The Magic, who defeated the Heat last Tuesday in Orlando, were led by Dwight Howard's 18 points and 11 rebounds. Three other Magic players scored in double-figures, including guard Quentin Richardson's 15 points off the bench.

QUOTABLE: "I was very aggressive. I'm trying to do what I'm able to do to help us win. I felt that at certain times in the game I wasn't aggressive, so I wanted to get aggressive."
-- Wade.

THE STAT: The Magic shot 39 percent from the field, including 9-of-25 from the 3-point arc. Give the Heat defense the credit because they contested most of Orlando's shots.

TURNING POINT: Holding a 77-73 lead, the Heat scored seven straight points during a three-minute stretch late in the fourth quarter. It created just enough separation after the Magic were able to keep things close for the most part.

QUOTABLE II: "Chris Bosh, a great player, with Ryan Anderson guarding him looked like a totally different player in the second half than he did in the first half. Why we came in such a game and didn't bring any effort early is hard to understand."
-- Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy.

HOT: Wade shot 13-of-25, but did most of his work in the fourth quarter. He was key in helping the Heat go on a decisive run down the stretch. He also had six rebounds and four assists.

NOT: The Magic shot just 12 of 21 from the foul line, with Howard making 4-of-10. The nine misses were vital in a 10-point loss.

GOOD MOVE: The Heat established Bosh early. He had been struggling the past few games, with James and Wade handling the bulk of the scoring. Bosh played with more aggression, giving the Heat a three-headed attack.

BAD MOVE: Orlando seemed to go away from Howard in the fourth quarter, becoming a 3-point shooting team. The Magic made nine, but they could probably would have been more effective utilizing Howard against the Heat's suspect post defense.

NOTABLE: Heat forward Mike Miller missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle. Center Eddy Curry rejoined the team after missing Friday's game against the Sixers to attend the funeral of his grandmother. Miami has won 13 straight games at home. The teams split the season series, with each winning two.

UP NEXT: For the Heat, Tuesday @ Suns, Friday @ Pistons, Sunday @ Thunder. For the Magic, Monday vs. Bulls, Wednesday vs. Suns, Friday vs. Cavs.

• Magic: Harper, Smith
• Heat: Miller

• Magic: --
• Heat: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #42 Eric Lewis, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 20003
• Duration: 2:27