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AP
ORLANDO, Fla. - 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.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
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