Heat wastes another big lead in loss to Magic. And Miami’s playoff chances take a hit
Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 104-99 loss to the Orlando Magic (37-38) on Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, on a night Chris Bosh’s No. 1 jersey was retired by the Heat.
1. The Heat (36-38) blew another big lead at home.
Miami led by as many as 17 in the first half and entered halftime with a nine-point advantage. But Orlando, which was playing on the second night of a back-to-back, outscored Miami 62-48 in the second half to complete the comeback.
It marks the sixth time this season the Heat has lost a game that it’s led by nine or more points entering halftime, and the fourth time it’s happened at home. To put that into perspective, the Heat lost a total of just four of these games over the previous two seasons.
This one turned right from the start of the third quarter after a 36-minute extended halftime for Bosh’s jersey retirement. The Magic began the second half on a 21-11 run to take a one-point lead with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter, which was Orlando’s first lead of the game.
“It had nothing to do with halftime,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, alluding to the long intermission. “The start of the third quarter, they got back into the game so quickly. We were not executing with force or detail. They made more plays, had less mistakes defensively, and we had to score over the top of them. They just played better. It was a toss-up game and they just made the plays down the stretch.”
But some Magic players believe the long halftime benefited them, with Heat players and coaches staying on the court for Bosh’s ceremony instead of spending the break in the locker room as teams usually do.
“I think so,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said when asked if the extended break helped Orlando. “Obviously, coming off a back-to-back, it gave us a little bit of rest and time to regroup. It was a weird situation because it doesn’t happen that often.”
Magic wing player Evan Fournier told The Athletic: “When I came out of the locker room and I saw they were on a bench, I was like, ‘Really?’ I was really, really surprised. We all thought they were in the practice facility.”
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac said to reporters: “It definitely gave us more time to really just relax and take a deep breath and regroup. We were in here and everybody was just silent, and we were just thinking about finding the energy and intensity to win this game.”
Orlando’s lead grew to as many as eight points in the fourth quarter.
After scoring 51 points on 47.6 percent shooting in the first half, the Heat was held to 36.4 percent shooting over the final two quarters. Orlando shot 53.8 percent in the second half.
Dwyane Wade scored 22 for the Heat, including 12 in the fourth quarter. But not even Wade’s late-game heroics were enough.
Dion Waiters finished with a team-high 26 points for the Heat.
The Heat is 10-5 over its past 15 games and the Magic has won six straight.
2. This blown lead was especially painful for the Heat, with Orlando passing Miami in the standings for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot.
The No. 8 Magic is now one-half game ahead of No. 9 Miami, with No. 10 Charlotte just one game behind the Heat. The Hornets defeated the Spurs in overtime on Tuesday night.
Not only did the loss move the Heat down in the standings. But Orlando also won the season series against Miami 3-1 and clinched the tiebreaker over the Heat should they finish tied in the standings.
“Regroup and get back to the next one,” Wade said. “We’ve lost 38 games, so you can’t be down after losing this one. We’ve lost 38 of them, so we come in tomorrow, figure out a way to get better.”
After Tuesday’s loss, FiveThirtyEight.com’s playoff predictions dropped the Heat’s chances of making the postseason, which was hovering around 50 percent for the past week, to 29 percent.
Miami has eight regular-season games remaining, with a Thursday matchup against the Mavericks up next. Dallas has lost 11 of its past 13 games.
“If you want to make the playoffs, it’s going to be uncomfortable,” Spoelstra said. “This is what the playoffs actually feels like. There’s a big misconception and a big lie about the playoffs. Everybody thinks it’s so fun. When you are actually in it, it’s a grind. So this is a great blessing to be in, in a situation where you feel this.”
3. Even after the loss, Tuesday night will always be remembered for Chris Bosh’s jersey retirement.
Bosh, who was the starting power forward on the Heat’s “Big Three” teams that won two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013, became the fourth Heat player to have his jersey retired. He joined Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Hardaway.
During a 36-minute halftime, the ceremony included words from Heat president Pat Riley, Wade and, of course, Bosh.
“It was great, man,” Wade said. “Just seeing CB up there and the words that he said, what this meant to him and his family, what he meant to this organization, what he means to this organization. It’s special, so I’m thankful that I was able to be here. I’m thankful I was able to be a part of it, so well deserved.”
Bosh’s 12-minute speech began by thanking owner Micky Arison and Riley. It included one-liners like Bosh telling Wade that he’s happy he’s getting his Heat jersey retired first because “I had to beat you at something.” The speech even included some Spanish, as Bosh referenced “Calle Ocho.”
Bosh ended his speech with his trademark scream to the AmericanAirlines Arena crowd one final time.
4. Vucevic was excellent against the Heat ... again.
Vucevic finished Tuesday’s game with 24 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes. It marks the fourth time in his career that he’s finished a game against the Heat with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds, which is the most games he’s recorded those numbers against any team in the NBA.
For his career, Vucevic has averaged 17.7 points and 10.8 rebounds in 25 games against the Heat.
5. Just when it looked like the Heat had turned things around at home, Tuesday happened.
The loss to the Magic dropped the Heat’s record at AmericanAirlines Arena to 17-21 for the season, which means Tuesday’s defeat clinched a losing home record for Miami with just three home games remaining. And it was much worse just a few weeks ago when Miami was 11-18 at home.
The Heat could end up accomplishing a unique feat. Dating back to the 2002-03 season, there hasn’t been an NBA team that’s finished a season with a losing overall record while posting a winning road record. The Heat is two games under .500 for the season with eight regular-season games left to play, and owns a 19-17 road record.
Before this season, the Heat had finished with a losing home record just once during Spoelstra’s first 10 seasons as head coach — in 2014-15 with a 20-21 mark. That was also the only season the Heat ended the regular season with a losing overall record under Spoelstra.
This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 12:12 AM.
