Miami trailed just 65-70 at the break before Orlando's reserves took over, Nikola Vucevic's plus-13 the clearest marker of how the second unit flipped the game. Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic and Bobby Portis Jr. all scored in double figures, but it was not enough with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo both out.
Close Game, Bad Finish
Miami built a 12-point lead and still trailed by only five, 65-70, at the half in Orlando. Two lead changes and five ties in the opening twenty minutes gave way to a different game after the break: the Magic outscored the Heat by sixteen in the second half, and the final was 136-115. A five-point game at intermission should not finish as a 21-point loss, preseason or not.
The Half That Got Away
Orlando's 10-0 run from 60-58 to 63-68 did the early damage, and Klay Thompson's three to tie it at the horn rimmed out, leaving Miami down 65-70 at intermission. Andrew Wiggins had answered a Paolo Banchero free-throw pair with a pull-up jumper moments earlier, proof the Heat could still trade buckets in that stretch. What they could not do was slow Orlando's bench once the second half started.
Bench Gave It Away
Nikola Vucevic came off Orlando's bench for 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and finished a plus-13, the best mark either team produced. Miami's reserves did the opposite: Nick Richards, Simone Fontecchio and Ryan Conwell each finished minus-4 in nine minutes apiece, and no Heat player, starter or reserve, finished better than minus-1. Starters outscored the bench 44-21, but neither group found a positive number.
Grades
Andrew Wiggins, B-plus: 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting with two steals, the most efficient line in the box score. Nikola Jovic, B: 12 points on 4-of-6, both his threes falling in just 15 minutes. Davion Mitchell, C-minus: five assists but three turnovers against a defense Miami will not see again this season.
Bottom Line
Miami has a ready excuse: Bam Adebayo sat with a groin issue and Giannis Antetokounmpo sat for rest, each with an estimated return of October 21, the same date as the regular-season opener against the Timberwolves. Five days remain to fix what went wrong after halftime. The result does not count. The pattern should still bother a team that calls itself disciplined.
Why didn't Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo play against the Magic?
Adebayo was held out with a groin issue and Antetokounmpo sat for rest, and both have an estimated return of October 21, the date of the regular-season opener.
What was the final score of the Heat-Magic preseason game?
Orlando won 136-115 after the Heat trailed by only five points, 65-70, at halftime.
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