Herro’s Heroics Beat Orlando
Orlando, FL—In what was now the second game in five nights against the Miami Heat, the Magic lost a nail-biter against their in-state rival 89-88 thanks to a clutch game-winner from Tyler Herro in the dying moments of the game, securing the comeback victory for Miami.
Tyler Herro continues to make his case as a first-time All-Star as he propelled the Heat with a much-needed victory. Coming into tonight’s matchup Miami had lost three out of their last four games and amid all the trade rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler they needed some positive momentum to build off of moving forward. Herro led Miami with 20 points and nailed the game-winning shot over Trevelin Queen with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.
“Yeah, it felt good just to get the win,” Tyler Herro on coming back from a 17 point deficit. “We felt sick to our stomachs after that last game, really giving up that lead, and coming back in this building not even a week later and getting the win is really gratifying.”
Heat vs Magic Injury Report
Miami’s Terry Rozier (knee) and Pelle Larson (ankle) were upgraded to available prior to tonight’s game, but Heat forward Jimmy Butler (conditioning) didn’t travel with the team as he missed tonight’s game. For Orlando, they would continue to miss Paolo Banchero (oblique), Franz Wagner (oblique), Moe Wagner (knee), and Gary Harris (hamstring) who has now missed his 13th consecutive game in a row.
Coache’s Pre-Game Quotes
“All depends, each game is a case-by-case,” Erik Spoelstra pre-game on finding cohesion with certain lineups. “We had good cohesion the first three-quarters of the last game up here. So whatever lineup we go with it’s about competing collectively at a high level and then sustaining it.”
“I think it’s opportunity,” Jamahl Mosley pre-game on playing Miami for the second time this week. “It’s an opportunity to see what you learned from the previous game. To take the good things and build on them.”
Magic Start Off Strong
Orlando was absolutely blazing to begin this game as they went on a quick 8-0 run before Erik Spoelstra called timeout. The Magic would continue to be aggressive as they led by as much as 17 points with baskets by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tristan da Silva, and multiple buckets from behind the arch from Jalen Suggs. Miami wouldn’t go down without a fight as Tyler Herro nailed some shots down the stretch and they closed out the first period on a 17-9 run cutting the Magic lead to 31-22.
The Magic picked up right where they left off in the second quarter with KCP jumping the lane for a beautiful steal and pass ahead to Anthony Black for the fastbreak finish. The Heat would continue to scratch and claw their way back into the game cutting into that deficit as the Magic would ultimately go into the halftime locker room up 52-41.
Miami Makes Late Rally
Both teams picked up the intensity and physicality in the second half as Miami would make a late rally. To begin the fourth the Heat opened up on an 8-2 run and they cut the deficit to just one point with 8:32 remaining in the contest. Out of the timeout, Alec Burks would nail a jumper at the top of the key giving Miami their first lead of the night 77-76.
From there it was essentially all Miami to close out the contest. Herro would knock down a triple and follow that up with a contested 13’ fadeaway elbow jumper to give the Heat a five-point lead with 2:05 left in the contest.
Final Minutes of Action
Orlando breathed some life into the crowd as Jalen Suggs grabbed a rebound, went the length of the court, and got to the foul line. The ensuing possession Herro would turn the ball out of bounds before KCP would follow that up with a big-time three on the left wing that cut the deficit to just one point with 52 seconds left.
The final possessions of the game were a thriller as Herro missed a 26’ three-point pull-up jumper and then Orlando’s Goga Bitadze got a tip-in layup with 4.9 seconds to give the Magic an 88-87 lead. Tyler Herro would then get the inbounds, dribble hard to the elbow, and make a contested game-winning shot over Trevelin Queen with 0.5 seconds left to seal the Magic’s fate.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1872468801071317007
Post-Game Thoughts
“It’s a tough shot. I think he hit a tough two over TQ [Trevelin Queen],” Jamahl Mosley on Tyler Herro’s game-winner. “You gotta give him credit for sticking with it. He wasn’t shooting it great early on but then being able to stay in there and knock it down.”
“Sometimes you’ve just gotta tip your cap. Even the last possession, I thought TQ [Trevelin Queen] played great defense, good contest, tough shot. So sometimes you’ve just gotta give the guy some props.”
Magic rookie forward Tristan da Silva continues to impress as he scored 18 points on 7 of 12 (58.3%) shooting from the floor and chipped in one steal and one block each. KCP played a very solid game, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and Goga Bitadze recorded yet another double-double finishing with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Heat On Fire From Deep
The Magic came into tonight’s contest as the number one defensive three-point shooting team in the association, and despite that Miami found a way to shoot 15 of 30 (50%) from behind the arch.
“I don’t think we did our job tonight,” Jamahl Mosley on the Heat’s three-point shooting. “I think those came off of a couple of miscommunications, transition to turnovers, you’re scrambling now—You gotta give Alec Burks credit for coming in and having a heck of a game. 17 [points] off the bench is pretty tough.”
To add insult to injury the Magic committed 23 turnovers tonight that ultimately decided the outcome of the game. Orlando had a 17-point lead at one point that was chipped at due to self-inflicted wounds on the offensive side of the ball.
“That was the game right there, no other way to put it,” Jamahl Mosley said of the team’s 23 turnovers. “23 turnovers, 25 points, you’re not giving yourself an opportunity—When you turn it over and you shoot 17% from the three-point line, you’re not giving yourself many chances.”
Magic Look to Bounce-Back
Orlando will thankfully have an opportunity to quickly flush this game and get this bad taste out of their mouth as they will play host to the New York Knicks tomorrow evening on the second night of a back-to-back.