The story going into Saturday’s matchup between the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic was Jimmy Butler missing the game due to illness. Suffering from a stomach bug, Butler left Friday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter and didn’t travel with the Heat to Orlando.
Yet the big takeaway from Miami’s 121–114 loss to the Magic is that the Heat blew a 25-point lead and were outscored 37–8 in the fourth quarter.
Cole Anthony scored 35 points off the bench, including 27 in the second half to fuel the Orlando comeback. The fifth-year guard also had eight rebounds and nine assists in what was easily his best game of the season.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 24 points, while Goga Bitadze scored 18 points with 13 rebounds. With the win, the Magic improved to 18–12 and increased their lead over Miami in the Southeast Division to three games. Orlando also maintained the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Heat took a 63–38 lead with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter on a Kel’el Ware dunk. They led 76–56 at halftime and increased the margin to 106–84 after three quarters. But Miami fell apart in the ensuing 12 minutes as Orlando went on a 12–0 run to begin the fourth.
Halfway through the frame, the Magic cut the margin to eight points. Orlando finally took the lead on a Caldwell-Pope jumper with 2:43 remaining in regulation. Miami shot 2-for-18 from the floor in the quarter, including 0-for-8 on 3-pointers.
Teams holding a 22-point lead going into the fourth quarter do not lose, as the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds pointed out. Going back five years, those teams went 796–0 with such a margin.
Teams with a 22-point lead or more entering the fourth quarter had gone 796-0 in NBA games since Dec. 22, 2019.
Heat led by 22 entering the fourth tonight.
The final: Magic 121, Heat 114.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 22, 2024
Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier each scored 23 points to lead the Heat, while Tyler Herro followed with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Filling in for Butler, Dru Smith scored 14 and Nikola Jović contributed only four after being moved into the starting lineup.
Orlando was without Jalen Suggs, who suffered an ankle sprain in Thursday’s 105–99 loss to the Thunder. That meant the Magic was missing its top three scorers with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner recovering from oblique injuries.
The Heat face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday before playing the Magic again next Thursday. Orlando follows up its big comeback win with a matchup against the Boston Celtics on Monday.
