By Joseph Goodman, McClatchy Newspapers –
ORLANDO, Fla. — It might have been Dwight Howard’s final game at Amway Center in a Magic uniform. Only fitting that it went into overtime.
(PHOTO: Orlando center Dwight Howard (12) scores in front of Miami guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the Miami Heat at Orlando Magic NBA game at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, March 13, 2012. )
It was the second overtime game in a row for the Heat, but this one ended nothing like Saturday’s victory against Indiana. With Howard dominating paint, the Magic held the Heat to four points in the extra period and defeated Miami, 104-98.
It’s a difficult start to a difficult three-game road trip for the Heat (32-10), which plays the Bulls at 8?p.m. on Wednesday at United Center.
The Heat went 2 of 10 in overtime, missing on multiple chances to cut into the Magic’s four-point lead in the final minute. LeBron James missed a pair of three-pointers on the Heat’s final two possessions and Mario Chalmers was whistled for an offensive foul with 1:17 to play. Howard rejected James at the rim with 1:42 to play.
Howard’s defense clearly affected the Heat’s shot selection in overtime but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said afterward that he saw positive signs amid the lopsided overtime period.
“I would say the later the game went, the better shots we got,” Spoelstra said. “And I wouldn’t judge the precision of quality of shots on whether we missed or made it. There’s the real and the unreal. I actually liked some of the things we did at the end.”
Only Dwyane Wade managed to score in overtime. He finished with 28 points on 12 of 22 from the field and 2 of 3 from three-point range, and he nearly won it at the end of regulation but his 20-footer rimmed out at the buzzer. On Saturday, Wade made nearly an identical shot to defeat the Pacers at end of overtime.
“D-Wade got a good look at it,” said James, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He has 18 double-doubles this season. He also had eight assists but committed six turnovers in the first three quarters of the game.
The Heat’s production dipped in overtime, but Miami had its chances thanks to Magic mistakes. Orlando had 22 turnovers and Howard missed four consecutive free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game. It gave the Heat a sliver of opportunity to perhaps tie the score and send it into double-overtime.
“We had opportunities in the fourth quarter and overtime but we weren’t able to capitalize on them,” Spoelstra said. “The rebounding really was a factor in this game.”
The Heat lost the rebounding battle 47-36, but that hardly tells the story. Howard finished with 26 rebounds (four offensive) to go along with 24 points, three steals, two blocks and an assist.
The Heat led 56-45 in the first half but scored just 17 points in the third quarter on 7-of-18 shooting from the field. James and Wade combined to go 2 of 9 in the third.
“The third quarter we did not play our best basketball,” Spoelstra said. “We gave them life, gave them an opportunity to get back into the game.”
J.J. Redick drained a three-pointer with a minute left in the third quarter to give the Magic (28-15) its first lead since the first half. From there, the two teams swapped leads until the end of the regulation.
Wade gave the Heat a 91-89 lead with an impossibly off-balance shot from 18-feet but the Magic answered with five consecutive points. Hedo Turkoglu tied the game before Jameer Nelson nailed a clutch three-pointer with 44 seconds left. It gave the Magic a three-point lead. Moments earlier, Heat reserve Shane Battier missed a wide open three-pointer. He finished 0 of 4 from three-point range and 1 of 5 from the field.
No matter. Wade was locked in like he has been in so many games recently.
He responded to Nelson’s three-pointer with one of his own. The dramatic shot, falling with 38.9 seconds remaining, tied the score at 94-all.
The Magic’s guard play outperformed Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. Nelson scored 25 points, including 20 in the second half and overtime. The Magic was 11 of 28 from three-point range with Nelson going 4 of 7 from behind the arc.
The Heat went 10 of 11 from the free-throw line but didn’t go to the line in the second half or overtime. Orlando went 21 of 37 from the line.
Bosh could have tied the game in overtime with a three-point play but an official waved off his continuation.
“We had a couple tough (calls) there down the stretch; I’m not going to get into that,” Spoelstra said. “We were attacking. We got to the rim. We had a catch deep at the rim and it looked like it was going to be a bucket and a foul very similar to a play on the other end.”
