GAME RECAP: Heat collapse to league-worst Magic

This is not the showing you wanted to have when the trade deadline is just a few days away. The Miami Heat were hosting the league-worst Orlando Magic who were without Aaron Gordon (hip) and yet they put a beat down on the Heat.

It didn’t start that way. Miami got off to a great start scoring 35 points in the first quarter and holding a 12 point lead multiple times in the first half. Hassan Whiteside scored the first 9 points for the Heat and Miami seemed to be rolling.

Yet, the Magic closed the gap and trailed by only one at the half. After that, a back and forth game got away from the Heat later in the third and they trailed by double digits. They trailed the Magic by as many as 14 points as the Magic just kept hitting threes.

I mean they were hitting them left and right. Mario Hezonja, Jonathan Simmons, D.J. Augustin, and Mo Speights — all just knocked down threes. Orlando was lighting it up and it took the energy out of the arena and Miami was lacking the play to keep up with them.

Then the Heat went on a run. A 12-0 run and then capped it off by evening the game at 109. It was another run led by defense to offense and finishes from Bam Adebayo, who played the 4th over Whiteside again (Bam, 26 minutes, Hassan, 23).

Jonathan Simmons made a dunk with over a minute left and that was the last score. The Heat had multiple chances to win the game at the end. But the final play was Winslow turning the ball over on an inbounds pass with 2 seconds left.

The Heat shot 3-23 from three (13%) while the Magic shot 13-30 (43%) and that was the big difference in the game. Both teams had 6 players in double figures. Josh Richardson led Miami with 20 points and Mario Hezonja had 20 for the Magic.

The 4th straight loss sends the Heat to 29-25 on the season. And they remain 7th in the East. This was just another example of a completely unacceptable loss to a bad team at home, which they have done routinely this season.

Next up is the Houston Rockets on Wednesday who have the second best record in the NBA. That will be the last game before the trade deadline has passed.