Miami defeated its intrastate rival, the Orlando Magic, in overtime 107-103 within the Amway Center on Saturday night in its league-leading 40th clutch game.
With 2:34 remaining in the regular-time period, Miami was down by as much as nine points, but Tyler Herro, Gabe Vincent, and Jimmy Butler scored seven straight points to make the score 95-93 with 1:12 remaining. Orlando led by four when Banchero’s one-handed, off-balance floater beat the shot clock, but the Heat rallied thanks to a Bam Adebayo backdoor feed to Butler with more than 30 seconds remaining. After Gabe Vincent made two free throws to force overtime, Miami defeated Orlando 10-6, with five of those points coming from Herro.
The Heat won on Saturday night for the tenth time in a row in Florida, including their second victory over the Magic this year.
Butler played 34 minutes, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks while shooting 7-of-17 from the field and making all eight of his free throws tries for the Heat, who had Friday limited Butler’s minutes to 28.
Tyler Herro led Miami’s other four scorers in double figures. Herro scored 23 points in the end, making 10 of 23 shots. Bam Adebayo recorded a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds. Gabe Vincent scored 20 points, and Max Strus scored 12 points, both of whom made four 3-pointers.
Six Magic players scored in double figures, with Markelle Fultz leading the way with 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting. Wendell Carter, Jalen Suggs, Mo Wagner, and Franz Wagner scored 14 points, while Banchero had 16 points and 13 rebounds in 34 minutes.
Both teams struggled offensively during Saturday’s rock fight, with Miami scoring just 104.9 points per 100 possessions (22nd percentile), while Orlando scored 102 points per 100 plays (14th percentile). In the halfcourt, the Heat scored 90.6 points per 100 plays (31st percentile), compared to the Magic’s 88.9 points per 100 plays (26th).
They had the 10th-lowest turnover rate going into the weekend, but they committed 19 turnovers, which resulted in 24 Magic points. Miami was prevented from going downhill for most of the game by Orlando’s extended switch-heavy defensive attack; when it did get to the rim, much of the success came on cuts and attacking creases, but it only required 20% attempts at the edge.
Erik Spoelstra was right: Once again, fans received value for their money. Despite the overtime outcome, Saturday marked Miami’s 32nd game with 110 or fewer points, the most in the NBA.
Finally, a victory is a victory. All could be more appealing. The Heat will play two more games, starting Monday against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, to squeak by until the All-Star break.