Heat
Magic Pour In 31 Free Throws, Bury Heat by 21 in Preseason Rout
The Magic beat the Heat 136-115 at the Kia Center behind a 38-point third quarter and 31-of-42 shooting from the free-throw line. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 24 points and Desmond Bane added 23 on 7-of-12 three-point shooting. The result has no bearing on the standings since this is preseason, but it gives Orlando's rotation a strong early look.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 3 d ago01The story of the nightThird Quarter Breaks It OpenMiami actually led 36-34 after the first quarter and trailed by just five, 70-65, at the half.
Miami actually led 36-34 after the first quarter and trailed by just five, 70-65, at the half. Orlando took over in the third, outscoring the Heat 38-30 to push the margin to 108-95. The Magic closed it out with a 28-20 fourth quarter. Miami's biggest lead was 12 points, Orlando's biggest lead was 23, and the game saw only two lead changes total — both coming early before Orlando pulled away for good in the second half.
02Banchero and Bane Lead Orlando, Conwell Keeps Miami AfloatPaolo Banchero scored 24 points on 5-of-11 shooting, getting to the line 16 times and making 13 free throws.
Paolo Banchero scored 24 points on 5-of-11 shooting, getting to the line 16 times and making 13 free throws. Desmond Bane added 23 points, hitting 7 of 12 three-pointers. Jamal Cain scored 14 off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting, and Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and 7 rebounds. For Miami, Ryan Conwell led all scorers off the bench with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, though he finished a team-worst minus-20. Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic each had 12 or 13 points in limited minutes.
03The Free-Throw Line Decided ItOrlando shot 31 of 42 from the free-throw line compared to Miami's 12 of 19 — a 19-make advantage that accounted for…
Orlando shot 31 of 42 from the free-throw line compared to Miami's 12 of 19 — a 19-make advantage that accounted for much of the final margin. The Magic also won the paint, 50-44, and ran out to 18 fast-break points against just 8 for the Heat. Miami actually out-rebounded the gap in bench scoring, 71-68, and scored more points off turnovers, 21 to 15, but neither was enough to offset Orlando's trips to the line and easy transition buckets.
04Shooting Splits Tell the StoryOrlando shot 50.6% from the field (44 of 87) compared to Miami's 42.7% (44 of 103) despite both teams making 44…
Orlando shot 50.6% from the field (44 of 87) compared to Miami's 42.7% (44 of 103) despite both teams making 44 shots overall — the Magic simply needed 16 fewer attempts. Orlando also edged the three-point battle, 17 of 43 to Miami's 15 of 52, with Bane alone going 7 of 12. Miami committed 13 turnovers to Orlando's 14, a wash, but the Heat's 0-of-7 shooting from Klay Thompson, including 0 of 6 from three, left a hole in the box score Miami couldn't fill.
05What It MeansBoth teams enter the preseason at 0-0, so nothing about the standings changes.
Both teams enter the preseason at 0-0, so nothing about the standings changes. For Orlando, Banchero's aggression at the rim and Bane's three-point shooting are the headline takeaways heading into the regular season. For Miami, Conwell's 21-point bench outing is a bright spot, but a shooting night that saw Thompson go scoreless and the team get outscored at the free-throw line by 19 makes is the kind of performance the Heat will want to clean up before games count.
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