The Miami HEAT fell to the Orlando Magic 102-101 Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dwyane Wade led the way for the HEAT with 25 points and six assists.
Impact Performance of the Night: With Chris Bosh back in the starting lineup, Dwyane Wade scored ten points through three quarters. Bosh found his grove after a slow start and converted on plenty of good looks. In the fourth quarter however, it was the Wade show. Wade scored 15 of his 25 points in the final quarter and was extremely aggressive down the stretch. After attacking from the perimeter at the start, Wade started to take it inside as he got to his spots in the paint. Wade shot 50 percent from the field, dished out six assists and grabbed three boards.
Bosh, meanwhile, also had a solid outing. Despite missing eight games due to a strained calf, Bosh moved very well and found room to operate in his comfort zones around the elbows. In all, Bosh had 20 points and eight rebounds.
The Deciding Run: While there weren’t any huge runs that swung the game, the HEAT went on an 8-2 run to go up 88-87 with 7:11 left in the game. Wade started to heat up during the run. Unfortunately, the Magic responded and took the lead at the very end.
Earlier, Miami went on a 20-14 run go up 49-43 with just under two minutes to go in the second quarter. Chris Bosh started to find his rhythm and Danny Granger kept up his hot streak throughout the run.
Play of the Game: With 2:07 left in the third quarter, Danny Granger drove inside from the right wing and went with a nifty side-step move to get away from Dewayne Dedmon. From there, Granger absorbed contact from Dedmon and finished the tough lay-in. Granger hit the following free throw to put the HEAT up 75-66.
Anther nice play came early on into the game when Chris Bosh had the ball right around the left elbow. He took a few dribbles, absorbed contact from Kyle O’Quinn and hit the tough bank-shot. Bosh also hit the ensuing free throw to cut the Magic’s lead to 18-15 with about five minutes left in the first quarter.
Lastly, with 6:56 to go in the second quarter, Ben Gordon drove inside and went up for a layup. Hassan Whiteside came across the lane to swat the shot and more importantly, keep it in play to save two points.
Efficiency Rating: Offensive Efficiency: 114.0; Defensive Efficiency: 115.0
Trend to Watch: In the past few games, Hassan Whiteside has been getting more minutes and more touches. On Monday night, the HEAT fed Whiteside often and he got to the foul line plenty as a result. He also played solid defense and protected the rim very well. On one play in particular, Whiteside showed great anticipation and stole an entry pass intended for Nikola Vucevic. In general, Whiteside has done a good job of using his length to fight for rebounds, and that’s made a difference for Miami. In all, Whiteside had eight points and seven boards in just over 18 minutes of action.
The Takeaway: It was a tough loss for the HEAT to take. Dwyane Wade had a fantastic fourth quarter and did all he could to try and come out victorious. Miami also got solid contributions from Danny Granger and Chris Bosh. Granger continued his recent tear and once again set a season-high in points. He finished with 21 points, including 6-of-7 from downtown, and four rebounds. He started the game a perfect 5-of-5 from deep and hit a clutch three down the stretch off a nice pass from Wade.
Miami went on a nice run in the third quarter to take control of the game; however Orlando tied it entering the fourth. Wade had a solid look to try and win the game, but he unfortunately missed it. Up next for the HEAT is the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday afternoon.
Game Highlights: