+6
Dwyane Wade scored 27 points and LeBron James added 25 as the Heat cruised to a 90-78 win over the Magic on Sunday afternoon.
The Miami Heat are doing a number on the Orlando Magic in the resumption of their Sunshine State rivalry in Miami. After three quarters, the Heat lead, 70-54.
The usual suspects are leading the Heat, of course: Dwyane Wade has 25 points and LeBron James has added 19 points. LeBron is also threatening a triple-double with 10 rebounds and eight assists. They're the only two Heat players in double digits, but they've been able to help Miami build a huge lead because of their defense.
The Heat haven't locked down on every Magic shooter — J.J. Redick has made five threes and leads Orlando with 17 points — but they've limited the sharpshooting Magic from behind the arc and have produced 11 Orlando turnovers. And Dwight Howard, despite already having a double-double, has been a relative non-factor, scoring just 11 points through three periods.
For news and info on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.
Oh man. These poor kids had excellent seats, which is great, but also saw the hazards of being so near to the floor. Two young children sitting in courtside seats got a face full of LeBron James on Sunday as he went to block a shot, missed and landed in the first row.
First, the description:
LeBron just crashed into two little kids sitting in front row. There are tears.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 19, 2012
Next, the video:
Finally, the GIF. (You might want to save this for future use.):
The kids were fine and, as you can see in the video above, LeBron came over to make sure all was well. Still, it's got to hurt to get a face full of LeBron's backside as he comes flying into the front row.
For news and info on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.
Dwyane Wade is feeling it. The Heat guard has 19 points in the first half, leading Miami to a 43-31 lead against the Magic. His shots led to lots of awesome GIFs, which we'll get to later.
While Wade has provided the offense, Miami's defense is getting it done, too. The Magic are missing shots, shooting just 28.6 percent (12-for-42) in the first half and misfiring from range, too: they're 31 percent (6-for-19) from three-point land.
J.J. Reddick leads Orlando with 11 points, while Dwight Howard has been relatively quiet. He finished the half with six points and five rebounds.
But back to Wade, the star of the show (so far). Watch D-Wade doing D-Wade things:
• Dwyane Wade cannot believe that he made this shot. Everyone's face is funny.
• LeBron James and Dwyane Wade do another one of those neat half-court alley-oop things!
• You cannot stop Dwyane Wade. You cannot even hope to contain him. Wrap up, Dwight!
The Magic might want to borrow a Dwyane Wade classic for their own: "Get! Me! Outta here!"
Get the latest updates and video highlights from this game in our Magic vs. Heat stream.
Jason Richardson did not start for the Orlando Magic against the Miami Heat on Sunday due to an undisclosed chest injury, the team announced on Twitter. It's not clear what's causing him pain, but it's apparently not considered serious as he's still at the arena, according to the Associated Press.
Richardson has started all 26 games that he's appeared in this year, averaging 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He's been hot lately, though, averaging 16.3 points in February after averaging just 9.6 the previous month. Richardson missed three games in January with a bone bruise in his left knee.
J.J. Redick started in Richardson's place on Sunday. He's currently leading the Magic with 11 points with two minutes left in the first half, but Orlando still trails 38-29.
For news and info on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.
LeBron James and the Miami Heat host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic Sunday afternoon in a game that's being given undercard status after the main event of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks against the Dallas Mavericks, but the two top teams in the Southeast Division figure to have themselves a game of their own in Miami.
The Heat have won five straight games by an average of 18.8 points apiece, in the process looking like the unbeatable juggernaut the punditry predicted they would be. They've used stout defense, fast-break scoring at the league's highest efficiency and have gotten solid outside shooting from Mike Miller, Shane Battier and three-point contest participants Mario Chalmers and James Jones.
The Heat's lone weakness just happens to be the Magic's greatest strength: the paint. With Howard, Orlando routinely dominates the inside on both ends of the floor. Offensively, it makes teams collapse to cover him, which leads to kickouts to three-point shooters who have been on fire in February. How on fire? Well, after losing five of their last six games in January, the Magic have won eight of 10 so far in February, making this game a matchup of the two hottest teams in the East (aside from the one with that Lin fella).
Game Date/Time: Sunday, Feb. 19, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC (National)
For news and info on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.
After scoring just 56 points in a game in January against the Boston, the Orlando Magic, with Dwight Howard trade rumors swirling, seemed like they were ready to roll over and call it a season. They lost four out of their next five games and looked lifeless and listless.
Since that losing stretch, they've won eight of their 10 games and find themselves right in the mix for a home series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Among those eight victories was a resounding 102-89 win over the Miami Heat and wins over the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Magic's formula — surrounding Howard with dynamite three-point shooters — has worked to perfection as they've barraged opponents from the outside with ruthless efficiency.
Speaking of ruthless efficiency, no one has eviscerated opponents like the Miami Heat recently. They've won five straight since their loss to the Magic, beating teams by an average of 18.8 points in those games. The trifecta of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh has performed at stunningly high levels game in and game out. Despite being surrounded by two All-Stars, the MVP buzz surrounding James seems unavoidable. He's averaged 28 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals this season, numbers that are unavoidably incredible. He'll look to continue that dominance in a classic revenge game at home.
For more on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.
Magic Vs. Heat Final Score: Miami Rolls, 90-78
The Miami Heat extended their winning streak to six games and built on their NBA-best record with a 90-78 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday that included blazing start and a fantastic final three quarters.
The Heat burst from the gate on an 18-8 run, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade accounting for all but two of those points. They then turned on the jets in the second quarter and beyond, building a lead that stretched to 20 points at junctures in the fourth quarter before the Magic closed in garbage time. Still, James's 25 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists and Wade's 27 points to lead all scorers helped the Heat cruise to a sixth straight win by double digits.
The Magic struggled on offense, shooting 36.5 percent from the field, and J.J. Redick was Orlando's leading scorer with 17 points despite not scoring in the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, but made just two of his 10 free throws.
For news and info on these two teams, visit Heat blog Peninsula Is Mightier and Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post.
Feb 19 6:06p by Andy Hutchins - 0 comments