The Miami Heat’s hot start was extinguished by the even hotter Orlando Magic.
A pair of losses to start the month of February sent the Miami Heat reeling towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Sitting in fourth place through January, back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons landed Miami in seventh.
Returning home to face the Orlando Magic for the fourth and final time this season, head coach Erik Spoelstra reshuffled the starting five. Justise Winslow started for the first time since December 3, while Kelly Olynyk started his first game since January 10.
The new look did Miami well. With Hassan Whiteside back in the lineup after missing the game in Detroit, the Heat outscored the Magic 35 to 26, including nine first quarter points from Whiteside. Bam Adebayo also got off to a hot start, contributing seven points in the first, including a soul-crushing slam off a Wayne Ellington feed.
Bam Bam! 💪 pic.twitter.com/TdBPGhfU0d
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 6, 2018
Though the scoring slowed with Whiteside on the sideline to start the second, a bench unit led by James Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Adebayo kept Miami’s pace ahead of the Magic.
Unfortunately, Olynyk was out of the equation. After a hard, moving screen from Orlando’s Bismack Biyombo, Olynyk went down with a strained left shoulder injury.
Nursing a single digit lead at the half, Miami’s Jordan Mickey saw action for the first time since January 3 in place of the injured Olynyk. The third-year center quickly made his presence felt, erasing an Orlando layup in his first minute of action.
Despite Whiteside’s 19-point double-double, the Magic entered the second half with a renewed energy, building a six-point lead behind contributions from Mario Hezonja, DJ Augustin and Evan Fournier.
Miami fell behind in part to unenthusiastic perimeter defense and the night’s less-than-stellar shooting. The Heat managed just 3-for-23 from beyond the arc, contrasted only by a healthy 26-for-35 from the free throw line.
The scoring drought began heading into the third quarter, a notorious time for the 2018 Miami Heat. Miami is last in third quarter buckets, averaging just 22.3 points this season.
Re-inspired midway through the fourth, an and-one slam from Adebayo and a string of baskets to form a 16-2 run, helped the Heat claw back to tie the game following a 14-point deficit. Adebayo nearly matched his season high, dumping in 18 points along with 10 rebounds and two blocks in the contest.
Another clutch situation sealed became the determinant of Miami’s fate, with Miami down two with 14.6 seconds remaining. After a series of scrambles, a botched final play that should have seen a game-tying Goran Dragic layup, ended with a turnover, and another Miami loss.
Next: Miami Heat: What's been going on with James Johnson
The Heat will resume play on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.