Heat at Magic
After pulling off the third-largest comeback win in franchise history, the Orlando Magic hope to have enough left in the tank for a visit from the Miami Heat on Saturday. The Magic rallied from a 23-point deficit for a 105-100 win at Charlotte on Friday for their fourth win in six games. The Heat have dropped four of their last five and are coming off a 110-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Reserves Elfrid Payton, Willie Green and Ben Gordon led the Magic to their comeback victory over the Hornets after trailing by 23 midway through the third quarter, the latest sign Orlando might be blooming into a playoff contender. "I told these guys that the game is never over until the fat lady sings and we came into the game and approached it that way," Gordon told the team's website. "We made things happen and the other team started to get a little tight and look a little nervous, and we capitalized on that." The Heat mustered no such rally against the Clippers after giving up points on 11 straight possessions in the first quarter to fall into a 23-point hole of their own.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Miami), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE HEAT (6-6): Miami's backcourt is thin at the moment with Dwyane Wade (hamstring) sidelined and Norris Cole (finger) questionable after leaving Thursday's game. Wade's absence leaves the Heat without their No. 2 scorer and puts the focus at the offensive end fully on Chris Bosh (20.6 points, 8.6 rebounds). Miami will need swingman Luol Deng (14.2 points) and guard Mario Chalmers (13.4 points) to pick up the slack to get back on track.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (6-8): Orlando has quietly amassed a trio of dangerous offensive players in Tobias Harris (18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds), Nikola Vucevic (18.4 points, 11.8 rebounds) and Evan Fournier (17.6 points), but its the developing bench that makes the Magic a potential playoff team. Payton and Gordon combined for 27 points against Charlotte and Green scored seven straight points during a pivotal stretch before tipping in a missed free throw to put Orlando ahead for good. The Magic haven't even reached their full potential yet, because point guard Victor Oladipo (11.8 points, 3.6 assists) is still working his way back from an offseason facial fracture.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Miami has won nine straight in the series, its longest winning streak against Orlando.
2. Vucevic leads the NBA with 10 double doubles including four straight.
3. Miami is 6-0 when leading after three quarters while Orlando has trailed entering the fourth in three of its six wins.