Late-game drought costly, extends losing streak to 6
Vucevic records 25th double-double for shorthanded Magic in latest defeat
A late-game offensive drought proved costly as the Orlando Magic opened the second half of the season with a 111-103 loss Thursday to the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Nikola Vucevic recorded his 25th double-double with 24 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Magic (13-24), who lost their sixth in a row.
Dwayne Bacon added a season-high 21 points for Orlando.
Jimmy Butler posted 27 points and 11 assists while Kelly Olynyk had 20 points to lead the Heat (19-18), who improved to 8-1 over their past nine games.
The Heat’s defense helped deliver the win.
The Magic were down 95-94 after two free throws by Vucevic but stumbled over their next series of possessions. After a turnover, Bacon had two contested shots in the lane, then missed on a 30-foot 3-pointer as he had to beat the shot clock.
The struggles allowed the Heat to push their lead to seven at 101-94 after two free throws by Butler with 3 minutes, 38 seconds to play.
A layin by Gary Clark at 2:18 ended a 3:22 scoring drought, but the Magic couldn’t get any stops. A 3 by Olynyk with 57.7 seconds left put Miami up 108-98 and all but sealed the win.
The Magic managed just 21 points on 8-of-28 shooting in the fourth quarter.
Aaron Gordon saw his first game action since spraining his left ankle on Jan. 31 and finished with nine points and two rebounds in just under 14 minutes.
The Magic played without Evan Fournier (groin strain), Terrence Ross (sore left knee), James Ennis (sore left calf ) and Cole Anthony (rib fracture).
Orlando will complete the road back-to-back set Friday in San Antonio against the Spurs. The game tips off at 9 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Florida.