National Basketball Association
Miami 100, Orlando 93
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, April 13, 2015
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials:
#28 Zach Zarba, #74 Curtis Blair, #36 David Jones
Attendance:
19600
By The Sports Xchange
MIAMI -- The four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, a long-shot to make the playoffs, remained alive on Monday night after a 100-93 win over the Orlando Magic at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami was led by center Hassan Whiteside, who had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. He also helped hold Magic center Nikola Vucevic to three points.
In his three previous games against Miami this season, Vucevic averaged 28.3 points.
Miami guard Dwyane Wade added 22 points.
Orlando was led by shooting guard Victor Oladipo, who had 30 points, and forward Tobias Harris, who had 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Entering Monday, the Heat's hopes for a seventh straight playoff berth required not only for Miami to win out -- against Orlando on Monday and at Philadelphia on Wednesday -- but also for the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets to lose out.
The Pacers were idle on Monday, but the Heat got help from the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Nets 113-86. The Nets' loss clinched a playoff spot for the idle Boston Celtics.
Indiana, though, could end the Heat's season on Tuesday with a home win over the Washington Wizards.
But if the Pacers lose that game, the Heat would still be alive until at least Wednesday, the final day of the regular season. On that day, Brooklyn plays host to Orlando, and Indiana visits Memphis in a late game.
On Monday, Miami (36-45) won its regular-season home finale and earned just its second victory in the past eight games.
Orlando (25-56) lost its third straight game on the heels of a three-game win streak.
Playing before their 246th consecutive soldout home arena, the Heat trailed by three points early but led 33-22 after the first quarter and never relinquished their advantage.
Miami stretched its lead to 57-39 at halftime and kept the same margin in the third, heading into the fourth with an 84-66 advantage.
Orlando, using an 11-0 run, got as close as six points in the fourth quarter, but the Heat prevailed thanks to a 3-pointer by forward Luol Deng with 32 seconds left.
Deng finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Heat point guard Goran Dragic had 13 points and eight assists.
NOTES: Rookie Magic F Aaron Gordon, bothered by a foot injury earlier this season, made just his seventh start and his first since Feb. 9. ... If everyone on the current Heat roster returns next season and remains healthy, the lineup could be formidable: PG Goran Dragic, SG Dwyane Wade, SF Luol Deng, PF Chris Bosh, C Hassan Whiteside and a bench led by F/C Josh McRoberts, G Mario Chalmers and PF/C Chris Andersen. ... Orlando, whose season ends Wednesday at Brooklyn, has improved just slightly from last season's 23-win total, yet its future looks relatively bright due to young talents such as C Nikola Vucevic, 23, who recently signed a $52 million extension for the next four years; SG Victor Oladipo, 22, and SF Tobias Harris, 21. The Magic also have a lottery draft pick this year. ... Harris, though, will be a restricted free agent after this season.
Top Game Performances
Orlando |
|
Miami |
Victor Oladipo 30 |
Scoring |
Hassan Whiteside 24 |
Elfrid Payton 7 |
Assists |
Goran Dragic 8 |
Tobias Harris 12 |
Rebounds |
Hassan Whiteside 13 |
Victor Oladipo 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Dwyane Wade 6 |
Victor Oladipo 4 |
Steals |
Luol Deng 2 |
Aaron Gordon 2 |
Blocks |
Hassan Whiteside 5 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Orlando
|
93 |
41.2 |
6-21 |
17-28 |
14 |
41 |
4 |
10 |
8 |
Miami
|
100 |
47.0 |
3-10 |
19-23 |
21 |
50 |
9 |
2 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Miami will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Heat have a W/L % of .306 after a win and .556 after a loss.
-
Orlando will play their next game on the road against Brooklyn. The Magic have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .268 after a loss.