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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F | |
| MAGIC | 18 | 26 | 16 | 26 | - | 86 |
| HEAT | 33 | 26 | 30 | 15 | - | 104 |
Recap:
MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade had 25 points and seven assists, Michael Beasley added 22 points and the Miami Heat were in control throughout an easy 104-86 victory over the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
Dorell Wright and Quentin Richardson each scored 11 points for the Heat, who beat their Southeast Division rivals for the second time in two meetings this season.
Dwight Howard finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic, who fell to 15-4 against the East this season. J.J. Redick scored 13 points, Mickael Pietrus added 12 and Vince Carter was scoreless for the game's first 21 minutes before finishing with 10 points for Orlando.
Wade sat out the entire fourth quarter for the third straight game, all of them routs with Miami winning the last two. Since a pair of team meetings following a 28-point home loss to Memphis on Sunday, the Heat are 2-0 with an average winning margin of 19 points.
The Magic have dominated the Sunshine State rivalry in recent years, winning 12 of the last 14 meetings coming into Thursday. The only two Orlando losses in that span were by six points last January, then a single point on Nov. 25.
This one, much different.
Miami hadn't enjoyed a blowout against Orlando since Feb. 15, 2006, 16 series games ago. The Heat won 110-100 that night, a final margin that belied the fact Miami led by as many as 29 in that game.
Unbelievably as it may seem, considering Orlando had won 12 of the last 14 in the series, Miami led by 29 in this one as well.
Sparked by three separate 10-0 runs, the Heat led 89-60 entering the fourth quarter. The first two spurts came in the first quarter, putting Miami up 12-6 and then 33-18.
And the final burst came to close the third, although it may have been costly for Miami.
Wade hit a pullup 3-pointer with 1 minute remaining, putting Miami up 87-60. When Redick tried a layup in transition moments later, Wade lurked behind then pounced to block it off the backboard.
Redick went tumbling, but Wade apparently got the worst of the deal.
Already bothered by a sore right wrist for the past week, Wade started shaking his shooting hand seconds after making that block and asked to be removed from the game.
It was about the only downside for Miami all night.
Wright's buzzer-beating jumper to close the first quarter helped Heat reserves outscore Orlando's bench 10-0 in the first 12 minutes. When Mario Chalmers scored with 9:45 left in the half, Miami led 39-21 -- significant because Orlando hasn't won a game after trailing by more than 17 this season.
Whenever Orlando wanted to make things interesting, Miami had an answer.
Orlando ran off seven straight points to get within 39-28, so Beasley and Chalmers answered with a 7-0 run. And after Jason Williams blew past Carlos Arroyo for a layup with 6 seconds left in the half, Arroyo hit a 3-pointer over him with 0.2 ticks remaining for a 59-44 lead at the break.
Orlando didn't get any closer than that in the third, and Beasley was the only starter from either side to play in the fourth.
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POSTGAME VIDEO:
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Preview:
STATS -- Michael Beasley had one of the best offensive games of his young career in the Miami Heat's latest game, helping his team snap a four-game skid at home.
The Orlando Magic don't need any additional reason to pay attention to Beasley's whereabouts.
Beasley dunked home a Dwyane Wade miss to seal a victory in the waning seconds of the Heat's visit to Orlando last month, and the Magic will look to atone for that surprising loss Thursday night when they try for their seventh win in eight trips to Miami.
Beasley was the No. 2 pick of the 2008 NBA draft yet finished seventh in the rookie of the year voting during an up-and-down first season.
He's taken some steps toward becoming a dangerous second option for the Heat (12-11), none better than his latest game. Beasley bounced back from scoring a season-low six points in a Sunday loss to Memphis by matching his career high with 28 points and adding 11 rebounds in a 115-95 win over Toronto on Tuesday.
"I think it's been long enough for me playing average," Beasley said. "I'm just kind of mad at myself for not stepping out of the box. I'm kind of angry right now.''
Beasley has scored at least 20 points seven times this season - Miami is 4-3 when he does - but perhaps his biggest impact came when he had 15 points and 12 boards Nov. 25 in Orlando. The Magic appeared on their way to a 13th victory in 14 regular-season games against the Heat when Wade air-balled a jumper in the closing seconds, but Beasley grabbed it and dunked it to give Miami a controversial 99-98 win.
"From where we were standing, it just looked like goaltending," said Orlando center Dwight Howard, who had 16 rebounds but was held to 12 points. "... (But) it's over with now. There's nothing we can do about it."
Wade had 24 points on just 6 of 22 shooting, but the Heat haven't exactly thrived against the Magic (19-6) when he's taken over offensively. Wade had averaged 40.0 points during his previous five games versus Orlando, but Miami had only won in his lowest-scoring performance (27) of the bunch.
Rashard Lewis had his worst game of the season in the Magic's loss to the Heat, shooting 3 of 15 and finishing with nine points, but Lewis didn't miss often Wednesday. He went 8 of 13 from the field - 5 of 8 from beyond the arc - and had a team-high 21 points as Orlando throttled the Raptors 118-99, a night after Toronto's blowout loss in Miami.
Howard spent the evening showing why he's the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 14 rebounds and eight blocks to go with 18 points.
"He's a monster,'' reserve forward Matt Barnes, who had a season-high 20 points, told the NBA's official Web site. "He gives the other players a chance to really get into their opponent, knowing if we get beat he has our back."
Barnes had three points in last month's visit from Miami, but Orlando got a season-high 25 from former Heat guard Jason Williams. Williams, who's starting in place of the injured Jameer Nelson, has averaged 6.8 points in 10 games since.
Miami, meanwhile, may get Mario Chalmers back in the starting lineup. Chalmers, who started the first 104 games of his career, came off the bench for the first time Tuesday after arriving late to shootaround.
Chalmers had 20 points in Miami's 103-97 win over Orlando on Jan. 24, its only home victory against the Magic since Feb. 14, 2006.
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Game Notes:
Dec. 17 @ Miami: Orlando is 38-42 vs. Miami (22-19 at home, 16-23 on the road) during regular season action, including 0-1 this season…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 14 regular season meetings with the Heat…The Magic have won six of the last seven 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…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Miami, see p. 264 of the media guide… Nov. 25 vs. Miami – Heat 99, Magic 98: Michael Beasley dunked home a Dwyane Wade air ball with 1.6 seconds left, as Miami escaped with a 99-98 win over Orlando at a sold-out Amway Arena. The loss snapped the Magic’s five game winning streak. Beasley finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, while James Jones added 16 points, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Jason Williams led the Magic with 25 points and eight assists, while Vince Carter netted 22 points. Orlando led 86-75 with under eight minutes to go, but could not put the Heat away. Miami went on a 16-0 run and took a five-point lead late in the stanza. However, the Magic would respond, as Carter drained a long three-pointer as the shot clock expired with 14 seconds left, giving them a 98-95 advantage. After a Udonis Haslem put-back, Williams missed a pair of free throws, giving the ball back to Miami. Wade’s attempt from the top of the key was short, but Beasley was in the right place at the right time and soared for the game-winning jam.
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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