Jimmy Butler scored 23 points as heat down magic
In the Heat’s 121-95 victory against visiting Orlando on Tuesday, Jimmy Butler led seven Miami players in double figures with 23 points. He also made back-to-back 3-pointers to thwart a late Magic revival.
Miami never fell behind and, because to a dominant defensive effort, increased their lead to as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter. The Heat forced 18 turnovers and limited the Magic to 35-for-80 (43.8%) shooting from the field, including 10-for-35 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range.
But Orlando opened the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run, cutting the deficit to 10 points midway through the period.
Butler snuffed out the comeback attempt when he made his only two 3-pointers of the night on consecutive possessions, first on a step-back and then when set up by a Terry Rozier assist.
Butler then scored from inside the arc, completing his one-man, 8-0 run to effectively put the game away.
Along with his scoring total, Butler grabbed eight rebounds and dished eight assists. He also made three steals, doing his part as Miami converted Orlando’s turnovers into 19 points.
Eight Miami players made at least one 3-point attempt, including Josh Richardson, who went 3-for-3 from deep off the bench en route to 13 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 points in a reserve role for his first double-figure-point scoring performance in six games since returning from a groin injury.
Rozier amassed 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Miami, which earned its third win in four games and secured the season series against Orlando 3-1. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo each recorded 14 points, and Caleb Martin scored 11 points.
Paolo Banchero matched Butler’s game-high point total with 23, and he grabbed nine rebounds and passed for seven assists in the loss. Wendell Carter Jr. shot 6-for-9 from the floor en route to 15 points. Franz Wagner, who was coming off matching his career high of 38 points, finished with 13 after being stuck in single digits until late in the fourth quarter.
Markelle Fultz also scored 13 points as the Magic had a three-game winning streak end.