Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat showed no guts while getting blasted in the second half by the Orlando Magic

The Miami Heat christened Pat Riley Court with a disconcerting loss to the touring Orlando Magic. Shutting down Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, connecting on seven more threes, collecting 16 extra rebounds plus Paolo Banchero busting the Heat’s rear was the difference.  The first half had nine ties and 17 lead changes and the second featured none of each.

Terry Rozier was the Heat’s strongest player in the first quarter. He scored on a corner cut, nailed a turnaround long two-pointer in the right corner, made a layup and delivered a beautiful feed to Nikoa Jović on the break. 

Tyler Herro also played well, setting up Jović in transition and firing accurately from long and short distances. 

The Heat’s offense also forced three fouls against Orlando’s Jalen Suggs, causing him to play just five first-half minutes.

Yet on the other side, Paolo Banchero bullied his way to the cup, swished a pick-and-pop triple and produced in the open court. Wendell Carter Jr. added six digits. And Gary Harris downed three corner trifectas.

Next, the Heat’s defense permitted 28% of attempts. But the hosts were held to six of 24 baskets in the second quarter. Jović’s three 3-point tries were contested promptly, and he missed in the restricted area. Adebayo bricked a well-guarded corner tray and failed on two easy enough looks up close. And Butler’s only field goal of the half was a lob from Herro on a two-on-one break.

At halftime, the Heat were down 54-58. They had 22 paint points, 12 on the break, nine via second chances, five off turnovers and 12 from the bench.

The guests racked up 16 interior marks, six in the open court, 18 on spare tries, five off turnovers and 22 from the reserves.

Then the Magic came out of the break, pushing the Heat around as Butler and Adebayo were invisible. The visitors took a 12-point lead in over two minutes on a slot cut and score by Franz Wagner. This forced a Heat stoppage, but it worsened as the deficit ballooned to 27. 

On one possession, Banchero slipped a behind-the-back pass to F. Wagner, cutting up the baseline for a basket with Butler a step behind. On top of that, Banchero notched a dozen points, spinning into the lane in transition for a shot over Haywood Highsmith, dropping in a layup off the catch after sealing Highsmith, dunking on a rim roll, burying three freebies and making a 3-pointer.

Rozier tried to drag the hosts out of the hole with two trays, but the defense started to key in on him. Additionally, his teammates missed easy attempts at the rim, and the Magic continued to punish the paint with cuts and drive-bys. 

The fourth quarter started with the Heat down 25 points after getting outscored 39-18. Garbage time followed, and the only Heat starters to play the rest of the game were Jović, six minutes and change, and Rozier, nearly six.

The Heat lost 97-116. The team had 40 paint points, nine via second chances, 18 on the break, 19 off turnovers and 37 from the bench.

Rozier tallied 19 points on five of 15 attempts, with six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three turnovers.

Herro had 14 marks on 50% shooting, with five boards, three dimes, one block and one turnover.

And Butler plus Adebayo combined for 12 points on two of 13 attempts, with one turnover.

The Magic logged 44 interior marks, 17 in the open court, 25 on extra tries, 13 off turnovers and 38 from the reserves.

Banchero put up 33 points on 50% accuracy, with 11 rebounds, three dimes, one steal and one block.

Wagner had 23 points on 10 of 16 attempts, with four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.

And Harris scored 18 marks, making six of nine shots, with three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one turnover.

At the postgame presser, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the Magic overwhelmed his team and Banchero pressured the defense.

He added, “The activity level wasn’t there,” when asked about the defense. “You don’t need stats to see it. You can feel it when we are active…”

Adebayo said, “It’s embarrassing on a night like this…For us, it’s win or misery.”

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