Heat 91, Magic 81
HEAT 91, MAGIC 81: Dwyane Wade scored 31 points and Miami clamped down on defense in the second half to extend its lead in the Southeast Division. Orlando has dropped two of three.
Chris Bosh added 23 points and LeBron James collected 14 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five steals for the Heat, who now lead the Magic by five games in the Southeast. Miami is also within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago Bulls atop the Eastern Conference.
The Heat held Orlando to 34 points on 37 percent shooting in the second half and began to pull away in the fourth quarter.
The Magic were within 69-68 with 9:11 left when Miami called timeout. The Heat made the decision to get Wade more involved and the All-Star responded with 12 straight points during a 15-5 run. Bosh capped the burst with a traditional three-point play, giving Miami an 84-73 edge with 3:46 to play.
Wade’s jumper with 1:32 left capped a 14-point quarter and put the game away.
Dwight Howard, who went for 24 points and 25 rebounds in a home win over the Heat last week, was held to 18 and 11 on Sunday.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Magic shot 9 for 25 from 3-point range and 12 for 21 at the free throw line. … Orlando F Quentin Richardson scored 15 points off the bench on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. … The Heat outrebounded the Magic, 42-36, and forced 19 turnovers.