Nelson, who is only the second player in franchise history to play 10 seasons in a Magic uniform, also handed out six assists. Nelson kept Orlando in it early on and made seven of 11 shots and five of eight 3-pointers.
Arron Afflalo had 16 points, but he missed all five of his 3-point shots. Tobias Harris chipped in 17 points, while Victor Oladipo added 16 points and Glen ``Big Baby’’ Davis scored 14 points.
``It’s getting back to that point again where we just want to win,’’ Afflalo said. ``Regardless of any and everything, we just want a win. The taste of winning – it gets annoying a little bit when you keep leaving these games with losses. I don’t care if it’s a late-game loss or a blowout, I’m just tired of moving on to the next game with losses. You have to because it’s a long season, but we just want to win.’’
LeBron James made just five of 13 shots, but he still finished with a productive 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each chipped in 20 points. James was most proud of how Lewis responded on Saturday night when pressed into starting duty.
``Anytime that you are playing against your former team, you want to perform well, especially in their building,’’ James said. ``(Lewis) gave us 18 big points, three steals and that big four-point play.’’
Miami won its 22nd straight game against a foe from the Southeast Division. That is one win shy of equaling the NBA record for most consecutive wins against a division rival. Boston won 23 straight division games in 1961.
The Magic leaves today for a five-game road trip that will cover all or part of 10 nights. Orlando will play the Los Angeles Clippers (Monday), Portland (Wednesday), Sacramento (Friday), Denver (Saturday) and Dallas (Monday) during the trip.
Much to the delight of many life-long Magic fans, Orlando wore black, pinstriped uniforms modeled after the ones the franchise wore in its first few years in the NBA. The team will wear the Hardwood Classics uniforms several more times and next on Jan. 17 against Charlotte.
Said Oladipo: ``I think (the throwback uniforms) are amazing and I think we should wear them more often. There’s no question, those are at the top of the list of feathery.’’
Follow John Denton on Twitter here