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Streaking Heat stops Magic 117-107
With their winning streak in jeopardy, the Miami Heat wisely turned to Shaquille O'Neal.
Mixing finesse and muscle, Shaq sparked a 13-point run late in the fourth quarter and the Heat won their eighth game in a row, beating the Orlando Magic 117-107 Sunday night.
The winning streak is Miami's longest since March 1998, and the past four victories have come against teams above .500.
The Heat trailed for much of the game and were down 103-102 with five minutes left before O'Neal helped them surge ahead.
On consecutive possessions O'Neal hit a dunk, fed Eddie Jones for a 3-pointer that put Miami ahead to stay, then passed to Christian Laettner for a layup to make it 107-103. O'Neal's three-point play a minute later made it 110-103.
The score was 115-103 before Steve Francis hit a layup for the Magic, who scored only two baskets in the final 5:16.
O'Neal finished with 27 points. Jones went 8-for-10 and scored 25 points. Dwyane Wade added 22 despite missing 14 of 20 shots.
Playing their intrastate rivals for the first time this season, Orlando was eager to challenge Miami's supremacy atop the Southeast Division. Instead the Magic lost for the fourth time in five games and fell four games behind the Heat.
Francis led Orlando with 31 points, many on acrobatic, slashing shots. He even drew a foul on a twisting shot with his back to the basket.
Cuttino Mobley had 22 points, and Grant Hill 20 for the Magic, who lost despite shooting 51 percent. Miami shot 52 percent and trailed only 36-34 on the boards against the Magic, who lead the NBA in rebounds per game.
The Magic sank their first five 3-point attempts and shot 55 percent in the first half to lead 63-54. Jones' three-point play with 2.2 seconds left in the third quarter tied it at 87-all.
The Heat took the lead on a free throw to start the fourth quarter. Francis was called for a technical for talking to the Heat bench at the end of the third period, and Laettner sank the free throw. He then converted a three-point play on Miami's next possession for a 90-86 lead. |
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