Heat Set To Battle Cross-State Rival Orlando
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ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) – The new-look Miami Heat is still working to find its footing.
After a mediocre debut, Goran Dragic appeared much more comfortable in his second game with the Heat.
That certainly bodes well for coach Erik Spoelstra's group, which tries to continue its playoff push Wednesday night against an Orlando Magic team enjoying its longest winning streak of the season.
The Heat (24-31) hit the road having alternated wins and losses over their last five games after getting by Philadelphia 119-108 on Monday. Luol Deng led the way with 29 points while Dragic added 23 and 10 assists as Miami posted its highest scoring total of the season.
"He's picked up the offense fast and how to play with guys fast," star guard Dwyane Wade said of Dragic. "He's only going to get better."
Dragic, acquired from Phoenix before Thursday's deadline, scored just 12 on 4-of-11 shooting two nights earlier in a 105-91 defeat to New Orleans. He gives the Heat another much-needed scoring option with Chris Bosh out for the season because of blood clots on one of his lungs.
Seventh-place Miami is one of six teams within 2 1/2 games battling for the Eastern Conference's final two postseason berths.
"Every time when you talk with the front office or with the players, they're always thinking about winning the championship," Dragic said. "That should be our first goal, I love that about the organization."
The last-place Magic (19-39) are starting to show signs of life under new coach James Borrego, who's gone 4-2 since replacing Jacques Vaughn. Orlando, holding teams to an average of 9.6 fewer points than it did under Vaughn, has surrendered 88.3 per contest during a three-game run - all at home.
"That's our standard – when you are on the floor, you defend every single night," Borrego told the team's official website. "This group should feel good because they're moving in the right direction. But we're far from a finished product. We've got a long way to go and our group understands that, but they're committed to it."
The Magic are looking to keep building after defeating the 76ers 103-98 on Sunday. Nikola Vucevic had 31 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando scored 23 points off 21 turnovers.
"This is who we are," forward Channing Frye said. "I don't know if we're supposed to wait 10 or 12 games, but we're starting to see a trend. We're holding each other accountable and we're getting some consistency."
The Magic had dropped 10 straight to the Heat before pulling out a 102-101 road victory Dec. 29 thanks to Victor Oladipo's go-ahead free throw with 7 seconds left. Vucevic and Oladipo combined for 48 points as Orlando shot 53.2 percent for its second-highest mark this season.
Vucevic has totaled 59 points on 24-of-41 shooting and 26 boards in two games against the Heat in 2014-15. He may not have as easy a time down low against the emerging Hassan Whiteside, who's averaging 14.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over an 11-game stretch.
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (15.7) is the only player averaging more boards than Whiteside since Jan. 25.
Wade's average of 27.6 points against the Magic is his second-highest against any team. He's averaging 16.3 in three games since the break, down from his season mark of 21.0.
The Heat are the NBA's second-lowest scoring road team at 92.7 points per game.
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