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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| HEAT | 26 | 17 | 23 | 33 | 99 |
| MAGIC | 24 | 20 | 27 | 27 | 98 |
Recap:
ORLANDO (AP) -- Michael Beasley dunked a missed shot by Dwyane Wade with 1.6 seconds remaining, lifting the Miami Heat to a 99-98 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Wade's jumper was short, and Beasley soared in the air to take the rebound and seal the victory, which didn't come without controversy. Dwight Howard and the Magic bench pleaded for a goaltending call to no avail.
A desperation heave by Vince Carter wasn't close on the other end, and he tumbled into the stands off balance. All this came after Jason Williams missed two free throws that could have put Orlando ahead by three.
Beasley had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Wade overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points to help Miami rally from an 11-point deficit, snapping the Magic's five-game winning streak.
Carter hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, leaving his hand in the air and skipping to the bench with what Orlando thought was a victory. Not quite.
The Magic had no answer late for Wade.
He scored seven straight points in the fourth quarter, including drawing a foul from 3-point range on Mickael Pietrus that gave the Heat a 91-86 lead and got Orlando fans all riled up. Wade even left his hand up for good measure, nodding his head to those in attendance.
Orlando overcame an early deficit the only way it knows how - from long distance.
After going down by nine points, the Magic had six different players connect from beyond the arc in the opening half. They often did it in the final seconds of the shot clock, too.
Then things got testy.
Howard gave Orlando its first lead of the game with 3:17 remaining in the half, dunking over Jermaine O'Neal for a three-point play. On the next Magic possession, O'Neal and Howard got tangled up.
The Heat center was called for a technical foul after shouting a few words and walking toward Howard. An official got between the big men, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy even walked on the court to make sure things didn't escalate.
All the physical play aside, Miami's biggest problem at the start was Wade. He was held to four points in the half, a big reason why Orlando led 44-43 at intermission.
NOTES: Heat F Quentin Richardson missed his third straight game with a lower back strain. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said Richardson will do some light running and be evaluated Thursday. ... Howard received the NBA Cares Community Assist award for October before the game for his ongoing charitable work. ... The team held a moment of silence before the game for Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin, who died Tuesday. ... Magic owner Rich DeVos and guard J.J. Redick wished fans a happy Thanksgiving at center court before the game.
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POSTGAME VIDEO:
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Preview:
(STATS) -- Dwyane Wade has a higher career scoring average against the Orlando Magic than any other team, but all that's led to lately for the Miami Heat has been a lot of losses.
Wade topped 40 points in the Heat's two latest losses to Orlando, and the Magic will look to beat Miami for the 13th time in 14 games Wednesday night at Amway Arena and stretch their overall winning streak to six.
Wade has scored 30.7 points per game lifetime versus Orlando (11-3), and he's averaged 36.5 points in his last eight games against Miami's Southeast Division rival since April 9, 2006.
The Magic have won seven of those contests, however, despite Wade's individual dominance. In all, they've won 12 of 13 against the Heat (8-5) - injuries kept Wade out of five of those games - by an average of 12.9 points.
They've been even more impressive when Miami's visited Orlando. The Magic have won their past six games against the Heat in central Florida by 20.8 points, including a 122-99 win Feb. 22 when Wade (50) outscored the rest of his teammates.
"My concern is when Dwyane goes into the Hall of Fame and they start putting off his top career games, it's going to be like 50 versus Orlando," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said after that victory. "We're going to fill up the entire screen."
Other than Wade putting up a big point total, the common theme in the series has been Dwight Howard recording a double-double. He's done so in 12 straight games against Miami, averaging 20.1 points on 62.6 percent shooting and grabbing 14.2 rebounds per game.
Howard's shooting a career-high 62.5 percent from the field through 14 games this season, but he's taking fewer shots (9.1 per game) than ever before. He didn't make more than five shots for the fourth straight game Sunday in Toronto, but Orlando got scoring from other sources. Vince Carter had a game-high 24 and J.J. Redick added 19 off the bench in the Magic's 104-96 win.
Redick and Jason Williams (16 points) helped Orlando go on a 13-4 run with Howard, Carter and Rashard Lewis on the bench early in the fourth quarter.
"It wasn't like we looked around and said 'Holy crap, we don't have an All-Star on the floor,''' said Redick, who had averaged 3.0 points in his last four games after scoring 12.3 in his first nine. "We just went out and played with a group that has been successful before.''
Williams, who spent three seasons with Miami and started alongside Wade during the Heat's 2006 championship run, has 14 assists and three turnovers in his three starts since Jameer Nelson (knee surgery) was sidelined.
Wade scored 31 on Sunday, but got some help from another starter on Miami's title team to help end a three-game losing streak. Udonis Haslem was one of five Heat players in double figures, finishing with 14 after banking in a jumper with 15.4 seconds to lift Miami to a 102-101 win.
"We expect him to do that," Wade said of Haslem, who returned after missing two games with a sore left shoulder. "It was one of those shots that we needed. The basketball gods were with us on that one."
While guard Quentin Richardson has missed the past two games with a lower back strain and is questionable Wednesday, Michael Beasley has stepped up offensively. Last year's No. 2 overall pick, who scored 9.5 points per game against Orlando as a rookie, has averaged 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds in his last three games.
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Live Baseline Blog:
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Game Notes:
Nov. 25 vs. Miami: Orlando is 38-41 vs. Miami (22-18 at home, 16-23 on the road) during regular season action…The Magic went 3-1 last season against the Heat…Orlando is 2-3 vs. Miami during the playoffs (1997 first round)...Orlando has won 12 of the last 13 regular season meetings with the Heat…The Magic have won the last six meetings at home…Orlando has also won six of its last seven games in Miami…Stan Van Gundy served as the Heat’s head coach for two-plus years from 2003-05, compiling a 112-73 (.605) record, and was with the Heat for 12 years in various capacities…Jason Williams played with the Heat for three seasons (2005-08) and helped Miami capture the 2006 NBA Championship.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. HEAT: 42 pts., Shaquille O’Neal (@ Miami, 11-5-93); Nick Anderson (@ Orlando, 11-6-92)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 56 pts., Glen Rice (@ Miami, 4-15-95)
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