Heat Extend Winning Streak To 16 With 97-96 Victory
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Heat blew a 20-point lead Wednesday night and went without a basket for nearly seven minutes at the end of the game against Orlando, but when the Heat needed him the most, LeBron James came through.
James drove to the basket and hit a layup with just three seconds to go in the game to give the Heat the victory, 97-96 over the Orlando Magic. It was one of only four field goals the Heat hit in the final stanza.
The Magic were undermanned against the Heat and saw three players foul out near the end of the game. The Magic had five players score in double-figures and were led by Nicola Vucevic who had 25 points and 21 rebounds in the game.
Jameer Nelson also had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the game for Orlando.
In the fourth quarter, Shane Battier drew a key charge with around a minute to go to erase a late basket for the Magic. The Heat had only three players in double-figures, LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
The Heat's Big Three combined to score 67 points on a night when Ray Allen and Shane Battier couldn't get it going from behind the three-point line, hitting just 2-9 from downtown.
LeBron shot 50 percent from the field and missed only one free throw in the game. Bosh added 10 rebounds and three assists and Wade had 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the game.
The victory extended Miami's winning streak to 16 straight, which is the second-longest in the NBA this year and the longest in franchise history.
