Final
Beasley's tip lifts Heat to 99-98 win over Magic
Nov 26, 2009 - 4:41 AM By ANTONIO GONZALEZ Associated Press WriterORLANDO, Fla.(AP) -- Dwyane Wade was all set to deliver another game-winning shot, going through his usual motion: draining the clock, dribbling right and letting the shot fly.
His bad miss caught everybody by surprise. Well, nearly everybody.
Michael Beasley dunked the missed shot by Wade with 1.6 seconds remaining, lifting the Miami Heat to a 99-98 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Wade's jumper was short, and Beasley soared in the air over Matt Barnes to take the rebound and seal the victory, which didn't come without controversy. Dwight Howard and the Magic bench pleaded for a goaltending call to no avail.
"When it touched my hand, I was just thinking, 'Dunk it. Dunk it. Dunk it,"' Beasley said. "Because I was so close to the basket, I honestly wasn't thinking about no offensive interference. Well, I was. But I looked directly at the ref, he was running down the floor, so I knew it was good."
The Magic disagreed.
"From where we were standing, it just looked like goaltending," Howard said.
Magic forward Mickael Pietrus refused to say if he thought it was interference.
"I love my money, I love my family, I'm not going to say anything," he joked.
Orlando had its chances.
A desperation heave by Vince Carter wasn't close on the other end, and he tumbled into the stands off balance. All this came after Jason Williams missed two free throws that could have put Orlando ahead by three, and Howard also missed a pair late.
Beasley had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Wade overcame a slow start to finish with 24 points to help Miami rally from an 11-point deficit, snapping the Magic's five-game winning streak.
"I'm going to stop lying. That was a great play by Mike," said Wade, who joked that it was also a great assist. "A very athletic play."
Carter hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, leaving his hand in the air and skipping to the bench with what Orlando thought was a victory. Not quite.
"The satisfaction of making it would have made me happy if we won," Carter said.
The Magic had no answer late for Wade.
He scored seven straight points in the fourth quarter, including drawing a foul from 3-point range on Pietrus that gave the Heat a 91-86 lead and got Orlando fans all riled up. Wade even left his hand up for good measure, nodding his head to those in attendance.
Orlando overcame an early deficit the only way it knows how - from long distance.
After going down by nine points, the Magic had six different players connect from beyond the arc in the opening half. They often did it in the final seconds of the shot clock, too.
Then things got testy.
Howard gave Orlando its first lead of the game with 3:17 remaining in the half, dunking over Jermaine O'Neal for a three-point play. On the next Magic possession, O'Neal and Howard got tangled up.
The Heat center was called for a technical foul after shouting a few words and walking toward Howard. An official got between the big men, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy even walked on the court to make sure things didn't escalate.
All the physical play aside, Miami's biggest problem at the start was Wade. He was held to four points in the half, a big reason why Orlando led 44-43 at intermission.
The Magic had won 12 of the last 13 regular-season games against Miami.
"To come here and win where we haven't won in a long time against a team we haven't beat too many times over the last three years, and to come back and get it in the fourth quarter was real big," Wade said. "Normally when we play that way, we're not in striking distance against this team."
NOTES: Heat F Quentin Richardson missed his third straight game with a lower back strain. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said Richardson will do some light running and be evaluated Thursday. ... Howard received the NBA Cares Community Assist award for October before the game for his ongoing charitable work. ... The team held a moment of silence before the game for Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin, who died Tuesday. ... Magic owner Rich DeVos and guard J.J. Redick wished fans a happy Thanksgiving at center court before the game.
- NBA
END 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
GOLDEN STATE 31 27 23 81
SAN ANTONIO 32 27 31 91 END 3RD QTR
HIGH SCORERS AFTER 3RD QUARTER
GSW - MONTA ELLIS 38, COREY MAGGETTE 12,
MIKKI MOORE 9
SAS - TONY PARKER 30, TIM DUNCAN 18, ANTONIO
MCDYESS 10
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MIAMI
Nov 25 10:26 PM - NBA
END 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MIAMI 26 17 23 66
ORLANDO 24 20 27 71 END 3RD QTR
HIGH SCORERS AFTER 3RD QUARTER
MIA - JAMES JONES 16, MICHAEL BEASLEY 13,
JERMAINE O'NEAL 9
ORL - JASON WILLIAMS 23, VINCE CARTER 13,
MICKAEL PIETRUS 10
Nov 25 9:33 PM - NBA
MIAMI 43
ORLANDO 44 HALFTIME
Nov 25 8:42 PM - NBA
MIAMI 26
ORLANDO 24 END, 1ST QTR
Nov 25 8:03 PM
Related News
- Shaquille O’Neal To Be First To Have Jersey Retired by Magic Jan 4
- LeBron James Has Been At His Best for Many Birthdays Dec 29
- Jimmy Butler Is The NBA's Most Interesting Man Oct 11
- Portland Has High Demands for Miami in Damian Lillard Trade Sep 19
- 2023 NBA Summer League Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (7/5) Jul 5
- 2023 NBA Summer League Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (7/3) Jul 3
- Tyler Herro Distances Himself From Miami Heat, Removes Them From His Twitter Profile Jul 2
- D’Angelo Russell Agrees to 2-Year, $37M Contract With Los Angeles Lakers Jul 1
- NBA Trade Deadline Rumors: Heat Set Sights On Bradley Beal, Pelicans Interested in Scoot Henderson Jun 14
- NBA Finals First Basket Scorer Picks & Predictions: Monday (Nuggets vs. Heat) Jun 12
- NBA Best Bets Odds, Picks, & Predictions: Monday, June 12th (2023) Jun 12