THE Orlando Magic banked on a balanced attack and a quicker pace to take down the Miami Heat, 110-99, at the Amway Center on Friday (Saturday, Manila time).
The Magic unleashed a 13-0 run near the middle of the first quarter and never looked back, pulling away particularly in the third quarter with a 23-11 start after the break to lead by as much as 19.
Miami cut the lead down to six late in the fourth quarter, but Aaron Gordon led a strong finishing kick with a 13-8 flurry until the final buzzer.
Six Orlando (23-39) players finished in double figures, led by Nikola Vucevic with 25 points. Gordon had a double-double of 21 markers and 10 rebounds, while Elfrid Payton flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 10 boards, and eight assists.
James Johnson led Miami (28-34) with 19 points off the bench. Hassan Whiteside ended up with a double-double of 15 markers and 18 rebounds, while Goran Dragic also scored 15.