Magic lose late lead against Heat

Vucevic scores 38 points, but Miami rallies for 102-97 victory.

The Orlando Magic got big games from Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 102-97 to the Miami Heat on Sunday night at Amway Center.

Vucevic finished with 38 points and Ross had 31. Despite those performances, the Magic (13-26) still lost their eighth straight game. Ross made eight 3-pointers and Vucevic had six.

Orlando couldn’t overcome 23 turnovers that led to 26 points for Miami.

Jimmy Butler finished with 29 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead Miami (21-18), which moved to 10-1 in its last 11 games. Tyler Herro added 22 points and Kelly Olynyk — starting in place of the injured Bam Adebayo — scored 18 points for the Heat.

Vucevic made five 3s as part of a 17-point effort in the third quarter. The Magic surged to a 77-73 lead and outscored the Heat 32-25 in the frame.

Orlando was up 86-80 when Miami began to surge. Olynyk drained a 3, Butler sank two free throws, Herro hit a 3 and Butler had a dunk after a steal to produce a 90-89 lead.

The teams traded baskets before the Heat went ahead for good on a jumper by Butler that made the score 95-94. Herro sank a 3 and Olynyk made two free throws to make it 100-94 with 1 minute, 45 seconds left.

Later, a short hook by Vucevic made it 100-97 and the Magic got a stop when Butler missed a layup on the ensuing possession.

But Ross came up short on a contested 3, and Dwayne Bacon took an off-balance 3 after an offensive rebound. He missed, and Butler came up with a steal that he converted to a layup to seal the win.

The Magic played without Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, James Ennis and Cole Anthony.

Orlando returns to action Thursday when the Magic go to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Florida.