Heat 108, Magic 97
MIAMI -- Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to provide 26 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as the Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 108-97 on Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Whiteside, who made 10 of 15 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 at the foul line, extended his career high with his 35th double-double. He also had seven dunks, and the 26 points matched his career best.
The Heat also got 22 points and eight assists from Goran Dragic and 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds from Luol Deng.
Miami (42-30) is 13-6 since the All-Star break as the team battles for seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Orlando (29-43) has lost six straight games and is a virtual lock to finish last in the Southeast Division for the fourth straight year. Orlando was 19-13 on Jan. 1 but has crashed since.
The Magic was led by Evan Fournier (20 points), Andrew Nicholson (19 points) and Elfrid Payton (14 points, seven assists, seven rebounds).
Orlando emerged from the first quarter with a 31-28 lead. Fournier picked up a steal and banked in a buzzer-beating shot from the free-throw line to close out the quarter.
Fournier, after colliding with Heat rookie Justise Winslow, suffered a bloody gash on his forehand in the last minute of the second quarter.
Orlando closed the quarter on a 14-5 run and went into halftime with a 57-54 lead. Nicholson came off the bench to give his team a lift, scoring 10 straight Magic points midway through the second quarter. He hit a layup, a free throw, a three-pointer and two jumpers during that span.
It was Miami that surged next, closing the third quarter on a 16-2 run, taking an 85-69 lead into the fourth. The Magic never seriously threatened after that Heat charge.
NOTES: Heat F Luol Deng (thigh) returned after missing Miami's previous game. ... Heat rookie SG Josh Richardson said his post-All-Star break shooting streak started when he stopped playing video games on game days. ... Magic SG Victor Oladipo (wrist) sat out after getting hurt Wednesday against the Pistons. He was averaging 25.0 points in March. ... Magic F Ersan Ilyasova (sprained shoulder) was also out. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic normally gives Miami trouble, including a career-high 29-rebound game on Dec. 31, 2012. But he has been out since March 7 with a strained right groin and has been replaced in the starting lineup by C Dewayne Dedmon, who was brought up from Erie of the NBA Development League earlier this month. ... Second-year Orlando PG Elfrid Payton, 22, is coming off a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Detroit.