Magic can’t combat the Heat, as Butler barrage settles game
MIAMI — It took 63 seconds for Jimmy Butler to decide the game.
That’s all he needed to go on a personal 8-0 run — a stepback 3-pointer from the right corner, an all-alone 3-pointer from the left wing and then a jumper in the lane — midway through the fourth quarter, as the Miami Heat ran away for a 121-95 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
Butler finished with 23 points to lead seven Miami players in double figures, plus added eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals to the Heat’s tally — which won for just the second time in their last seven home games. Terry Rozier scored 18 while Tyler Herro and All-Star Bam Adebayo each scored 14 for Miami.
“Overall, that’s a quality win against a very good opponent,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Heat outscored Orlando by 32 points with Adebayo on the floor, the second-highest plus-minus for a Miami player this season.
“Bam was a monster,” Spoelstra said.
All-Star forward Paolo Banchero scored 23 for Orlando, the 18th consecutive road game in which he’s scored at least 20 points — tying Tracy McGrady for the second-longest such streak in Magic history. McGrady also has the longest streak, a 21-game run in the 2003-04 season.
Wendell Carter Jr scored 15, while Markelle Fultz and Franz Wagner scored 13 apiece for Orlando.
The Heat, who had lost eight of their last 10 games, never trailed Tuesday and pulled into a tie with the Magic atop the Southeast Division with identical 27-24 records.
But Miami won the season series 3-1, big in case that tiebreaker comes into play for playoff seeding.
“I love the fact that it is becoming a rivalry, and that we can rekindle that,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.
It sure looked like Miami took the rivalry seriously.
“We know how important that was,” Rozier said.
Miami led by 20 points in the second quarter — only the second time in a span of 38 games that the Heat had such a big lead before halftime. Miami led Charlotte by 24 on Jan 14; before that, the last Heat lead of 20 or more before halftime was Nov 18 against Chicago.
It all sounded good, for a few minutes anyway.
By halftime, the 20-point lead was down to seven; 53-33 became 56-49 in a flash. Orlando closed the half on a 16-3 run, Banchero leading the way with six of those points, while Miami missed six of its final seven shots.
Irving’s Brooklyn return
Kyrie Irving scored 36 points in a dazzling return to Brooklyn exactly one year after he was traded to Dallas, leading the Mavericks to a 119-107 victory over the Nets on Tuesday night.
Luka Doncic had 35 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Mavericks’ guard tandem took turns hitting some deep 3-pointers in the second half when the Nets were trying to make a run. Doncic quickly ditched the mask he was wearing at the start of the game to protect a nasal contusion, and just missed his 10th triple-double of the season.
Irving was booed when he touched the ball in the early stages, though he turned those to cheers after finishing one of his fancy drives for a reserve layup, or by hitting one of his six 3-pointers — and especially when he rose high to slam down a lob pass in the third quarter.
Irving, who is second to Vince Carter in Nets franchise history with his 14 40-point games, nearly got one against Brooklyn, after returning from a six-game absence with a sprained right thumb for Monday’s victory at Philadelphia.
Mikal Bridges scored 28 points and Royce O’Neal had 18 for the short-handed Nets, who trimmed a 23-point deficit to 107-101 with about five minutes remaining, before Irving knocked down two straight 3-pointers for a 113-101 lead. Ben Simmons had nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists after sitting out a loss to Golden State on Monday.