By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Orlando Magic handed the Miami Heat its third straight loss of the NBA regular season, 105-87, last January 22, 2024.
Seeking to break its losing skid after suffering back-to-back losses against the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando handled their business well against the Heat on their own home floor.
It was Orlando’s balanced attack that proved to be the difference in the game as five of their players all reached the double-digit scoring mark.
Leading the Magic is franchise player Paolo Banchero who pulled off another double-double performance of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists.
The superstar power forward was efficient from the shooting field and ended the game with a 7/14 shooting in 31 minutes of playing time.
Banchero was backstopped by the returning Franz Wagner who missed Orlando’s past games due to an injury and dropped 19 points, five assists, and two rebounds against the Heat.
Other players who scored in double figures for Orlando were Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz, and Jalen Suggs.
Miami was still in striking distance after the first half when they only trailed by a deuce but the Magic turned it up in the last two quarters and outscored the Heat, 57-41.
Orlando’s biggest quarter came in the third when they put up 33 points and ballooned its lead to as much as 12 points.
On the other hand, Miami had a cold shooting performance on the road and only converted 30 out of their 80 total attempts from the field.
The Heat will look to break its losing skid on January 25, 2024, as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies in an inter-conference NBA showdown.
