Heat burn Magic behind Bosh’s 32
HEAT 99, MAGIC 92
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic acknowledged they had no answer for Chris Bosh on Saturday night, and it cost them in a 99-92 loss to the Miami Heat.
Bosh scored 14 of his season-high 32 points in the fourth quarter and the Heat (7-6) beat their intrastate rivals for the 10th consecutive time.
“I’m not really used to guarding players like him,” said Magic center Nik Vucevic. “Usually I’m around the paint, trying to help, but with him you can’t do that. With Bosh, you have to be really close, and if you help he gets those open shots. He got it going with some open shots and at the end he was unstoppable.”
Bosh hit 5-of-6 shots in the fourth quarter, including two three-pointers. His two free throws with 6:45 left broke a 77-77 tie and started a 14-4 run that put Miami firmly in charge.
A long jumper by Bosh gave Miami (7-6) its first lead of 10 or more points at 91-81 with 3:39 left.
“I knew how they were playing, and I just wanted to keep switching up on them and not give them the same look,” Bosh said. “That’s when I started popping and getting some open looks. I was able to build a rhythm on that.”
Vucevic led Orlando with 33 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Magic (6-9) to a 44-33 rebounding advantage. Miami offset that with 52 percent shooting, including 12 of 26 from three-point range. Bosh also had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Mario Chalmers had a season-high 24 points and eight assists for the Heat, who shot 52 percent overall. Rookie Shabazz Napier added 12 points for Miami in 28 minutes off the bench.
Victor Oladipo scored 14 points for the Magic, and rookie Elfrid Payton came off the bench with 9 points, 4 assists and 5 steals.
Willie Green, a major contributor to the Magic’s comeback
from a 23-point deficit to win at Charlotte on Friday night, went scoreless in 31 minutes in his first start for Orlando.
Payton sparked a Magic rally late in the third quarter with a steal, a layup and a floating 4-foot jumper, which quickly erasing an eight-point Miami lead. Channing Frye’s two free throws with 9:34 left in the game gave Orlando its biggest lead at 73-70.
Bosh answered with an 18foot jumper and a three-pointer, and the Heat never trailed again.
PELICANS 106, JAZZ 94 Anthony Davis had a career-high 43 points and 14 rebounds, Jrue Holiday added 19 points and eight assists, and New Orleans beat host Utah. Davis shot 16 for 23 from the field to help the Pelicans earn a split of their four-game Western road trip. Gordon Hayward scored 31 points and Trey Burke had a season-high 20 for the Jazz.
SUNS 106, PACERS 83 Gerald Green led all scorers with 23 points Saturday and visiting Phoenix remained one of the hottest teams in the NBA after its road victory over Indiana. Markieff Morris added 13 points for Phoenix and Goran Dragic had 11.
RAPTORS 110, CAVALIERS 93 Lou Williams scored a career-high 36 points and Toronto turned an 18-point deficit into a convincing victory over host Cleveland, handing the Cavaliers their fourth consecutive loss.
KNICKS 91, 76ERS 83 Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points, Amare Stoudemire added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and New York dropped visiting Philadelphia to 0-13 with a victory.
ROCKETS 95, MAVERICKS 92 James Harden scored 32 points, including five down the stretch, to help host Houston rally for a victory over Dallas. Houston, playing without Dwight Howard (knee injury), ended its two-game skid and snapped the Mavericks’ six-game winning streak.
KINGS 113, TIMBERWOLVES 101 DeMarcus Cousins had 31 points and 18 rebounds to power visiting Sacramento to a victory over short-handed Minnesota.
WIZARDS 111, BUCKS 100 Paul Pierce scored 25 points and John Wall added 19 points as Washington rallied in the second half to beat host Milwaukee. Bradley Beal added 17 points for the Wizards, who won for the second consecutive night after beating Cleveland at home on Friday.
SPURS 99, NETS 87 Tony Parker had 22 points and San Antonio never trailed in a victory over visiting Brooklyn for its fourth consecutive victory. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green each had 21 points for the defending champion Spurs (8-4).