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James, Heat hammer Magic

Nov 21, 2013 - 4:49 AM Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James posted 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 120-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday in the opener of a home-and-home set from Amway Center.

Chris Bosh followed with 18 points, while James Jones knocked down five 3- pointers en route to 17 points for the Heat, who won their fifth straight game despite guard Dwyane Wade sitting out his second consecutive game with a sore knee.

"We find a way to stay engaged and stay sharp," Jones said of coming off the bench. "My team expects me to come out here and do this when it's asked of me."

Arron Afflalo connected on 7-of-9 shots from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 30 points for the Magic, who have lost five of their last six games.

"We're not happy we lost by this many points and we want to do better than we did tonight the next time we play them," Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. "I think we can play them better because we played them well last year. We just have to play better, especially on the defensive end."

Miami scored the first 16 points of the game to build an early advantage, but the Heat went the next five-plus minutes without a field goal, allowing the Magic to pull within 25-20 by the end of the first quarter.

Orlando used a 12-4 swing early in the second to take a 32-31 edge with just under eight minutes left until halftime before Bosh answered with back-to-back buckets, sparking a 14-4 Miami surge that Shane Battier capped with a triple to make it 45-36 with four minutes remaining in the frame.

Miami extended its margin to 10 with 1:34 left in the half, but the Magic scored the final five points of the frame to move within 54-49 at the break.

Jones caught fire early in the third, drilling three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the half, with his third triple of the quarter giving the Heat a 71-57 lead with just over seven minutes left in the third.

The margin reached 20 on a Mario Chalmers layup later in the quarter and the Heat carried a 90-71 cushion into the fourth.

Orlando never got closer than 19 in the final frame, as the Heat coasted to victory down the stretch.

Game Notes

The Magic and Heat will meet in South Beach on Saturday night ... The Heat have won six straight against Orlando ... Orlando rookie guard Victor Oladipo netted 20 points but turned the ball over eight times ... Miami shot a scorching 51.4 percent (38-of-74) from the field, while Orlando shot 40.8 percent (29-of-71) from the floor.