The Miami Heat officially tipped off their 2018-19 campaign last night, but couldn’t hold on against the Orlando Magic.
The Miami Heat’s 2018-19 season is here.
Unfortunately, it didn’t start out with a win.
What started out as an undeniable Wednesday night victory over the Orlando Magic, after a strong first quarter, quickly turned into a daunting 104-101 loss; the Heat’s staggering efforts just weren’t enough to hold off their rivals up the road.
In the beginning of the game, we saw what we were all waiting for: an explosive start to the beginning of another season of Miami Heat Basketball. And with Goran Dragić, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder, Derrick Jones Jr., and Hassan Whiteside as head coach Erik Spoelstra’s starting five, we certainly got just that.
In fact, at one point, the Heat were up 14 points, thanks to a team effort led by the offense of Dragić and the defense of Whiteside.
However, what seemed so promising soon turned into a battle of the buckets, once the Heat started bricking and the Magic’s shots started dropping.
Early foul trouble for McGruder put him on the bench and brought in everyone’s favorite No. 3, Dwyane Wade, for his last season opener.
But unfortunately, Wade couldn’t put the spark back in the team and the Magic cut the deficit down to only six points at the end of the first quarter.
And from there, the W began to slip away.
The second and third quarters were incredibly frustrating to watch.
There were missed attempts all around the Heat team and the Magic took advantage of their misfortune. The Heat lost their lead halfway through the second quarter and did a back and forth lead change, with a result of being down three at the half.
A short burst of confidence came close to the end of the third, when the Heat went up by five. But just as soon as it came, it went, resulting in the Heat being down one, going into the fourth.
What came next was perhaps worst of all.
After rallying from 11 behind in the last few minutes of the fourth, a Heat win seemed possible again, with just seconds left on the clock. The team was energized. The crowd was at the edge of their seats. Everyone knew what could very likely happen next.
Or so they thought.
Because what ended up happening instead was tip-toe king Josh Richardson stepping out of bounds on an important play, ultimately turning the ball over and sealing the Heat’s defeat.
That wasn’t why the team lost though. Inconsistent play, turnovers, and second chance points ultimately gave the Magic their win, not to mention foul trouble and a lack of a much-needed Justise Winslow.
Still, three of the starting five did their fair share to try and keep the Heat alive. Dragić ended the night with 26 points and four assists, Richardson with 21 points and five rebounds, and Whiteside with 12 points and 18 rebounds.
Off the bench, Wade (nine points, 11 rebounds) and Bam Adebayo (nine points, eight rebounds) did what they could to help, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.
Missing due to injury were Winslow (hamstring tightness), James Johnson (sports hernia surgery), Wayne Ellington (sore left ankle), and Dion Waiters (left ankle surgery).
The Heat continue on to their next game tonight against the Washington Wizards at 7 PM ET.