In a battle between two Florida teams, the reigning Eastern
Conference champs came out on top thanks to their 6-time All-Star.
Jimmy Butler
took control in the 4th quarter and helped the
Miami Heat cruise to
an easy 121-95 victory over the
Orlando Magic at Kaseya Center.
The Miami Heat went on a Cinderella run last postseason and
made it to the NBA Finals despite being an 8th seed. They lost their
first play-in tournament game to the Atlanta Hawks before defeating the Chicago
Bulls to sneak into the playoffs. Despite winning the East, Pat Riley’s
organization still weren’t considered favorites to win the conference heading
into this season, as teams like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks were viewed
as true title contenders with their offseason acquisitions. The Heat made a
move midseason to acquire Terry Rozier and after struggling for most of the
season, this team will look to turn things around.
Jimmy Butler led the way tonight with 23 points, 8 rebounds,
8 assists, and 3 steals on only 9 shot attempts. Terry Rozier had 18 points, 6
rebounds, and 7 assists while All-Star
Bam Adebayo finished with 14 points, 8
rebounds, and 3 assists.
For the Magic, first time All-Star
Paolo Banchero led the
way with his 29 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals.
Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while Franz
Wagner contributed 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
This win improves the Heat to 27-24, which makes them 7th in
the Eastern Conference. Miami is 3-7 over their last 10 games and will look to
build off this win tomorrow night against the San Antonio Spurs.
On the flip side, this loss drops the Magic to 27-24, which
makes them 8th in the Eastern Conference since Miami currently owns the
tiebreaker. Orlando is 5-5 over their last 10 games and will look to bounce
back on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
