The Heat have returned to the ring. For many weeks they have been in the shade – we could almost say hibernating – while others took the spotlight. That is changing. With last night’s 110-105 victory against Orlando, their rival from Florida, Erik Spoelstra’s boys have won eight of their last eleven games to already be sixth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28-22. They have been late, but they arrive on time.
The truth is that the Miami course has been dotted with physical problems. Virtually all of their players have gone through the infirmary and seeing them with the full squad has been almost impossible until recently. That is perhaps the main reason for the move to the fore of a team in which Jimmy Butler is the undisputed leader. Intensity, energy, determination… The forward usually leads the way for his teammates and was no less against the Magic, for whom he scored 29 points, as well as grabbing six rebounds and distributing six assists.
With Butler in good condition, everything is easier, but this does not hide the fact that the Heat have a long way to go. Last night not only did they not have a comfortable game, but they had to come back after a first half in which their rival was simply better. In the second part they pressed and ended up claiming victory. The veteran forward wonders why they are forced into games like this.
“I don’t know if we just like dogfights. I don’t know if we just like to make it interesting”, comments Butler, who last night had the collaboration of Bam debayo’s 20 points, as well as the 17 that Max Strus added from the bench.
Orlando, condemned by the losses
The Magic are playing really good games this season, but they still lack consistency to resolve some that end up being decided by small details. Against Miami, just that happened to them. Although they fought until the end, the turnovers doomed them. They had 20 and the Heat converted them to 32 points. It was the big difference between the two.
“We managed to turn it around when they reacted. When you’re in a game like that, you have to take care of the basketball. I loved the fact that we were in the game, in a great atmosphere, on the road and against a tough team, but you have to take care of the basketball,” says Jamahl Mosley, head coach of the Magic.
Regarding individual performances, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony each scored 19 points, the latter starting from the second unit.
(Photograph by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)