Nelson Helps Magic Hold Off Heat 103-94

[March 15, 2008]  MIAMI (AP) -- Jameer Nelson scored 21 points, Dwight Howard added 18 points and 16 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held off a serious Miami challenge to beat the Heat 103-94 on Friday night and move closer to clinching an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points, including five within an 18-second span of the final minute, for the Magic, who trailed by nine late in the first half and never shook the woebegone Heat, who lost for the 34th time in 37 games.

The Magic swept the four-game series with their Sunshine State neighbors for the second straight season.

Jason Williams scored 34 points - the second-highest total of his career - for Miami, which was without coach Pat Riley, who is spending a few days on the road at college tournaments scouting potential draft picks, and the now-customary seven injured players, including Shawn Marion, who sat out with a sore back.

And for a while, it looked like interim coach Ron Rothstein and the Heat were going to pull off a stunner.

But in the end, it was just another close loss for Miami, which has dropped its last four games by an average of four points.

The Magic set a club record for 3-pointers in a season, when Nelson connected 60 seconds after tip-off on Orlando's first of the night and 623rd of the season. Orlando also matched a club record by winning its 23rd road game, with six still to play.

Speaking of records, the Heat fell to 11-53, and they still need five wins to avoid matching the franchise all-time low. But no one could argue that Williams didn't do all he could to will Miami to win No. 12.

It was "Noche Latina" in Miami, and the Heat were one of four teams selected by the NBA to wear Latin-themed jerseys in an effort to appeal to their large Hispanic fan base.

Williams hit a 3-pointer with 1:41 left in the half, giving Miami a 51-42 lead and giving himself 19 points, his best half of the season. But Orlando scored the final eight points before intermission and, considering that most of the Heat cushion was gone and Williams crumpled to the court in pain after rolling an ankle in the final seconds, it appeared Miami was in big trouble.

Not quite.

Even though Orlando's starters combined to shoot 67 percent in the third quarter, the Magic still couldn't pull away. They led 77-74 entering the fourth, and after Bobby Jones hit his third 3-pointer in three attempts with 10:52 left, the game was knotted again at 79.

The 10th tie of the night came with 8:07 left when Williams hit a jumper, giving him 28 points and matching his all-time high with the Heat. But Miami didn't score for the next two minutes, Orlando took advantage to build a five-point cushion, and again looked poised to put the game away.

Again, not quite.

Williams knifed through for a layup with 4:42 left, tying the game at 90. But he rolled the ankle again one possession later, and even after referee Steve Javie asked if he was OK, Williams - who hadn't logged as many minutes in a game since November - still wouldn't come out.

But in the end, a 34-point, seven-assist, six-rebound night wasn't enough.

Daequan Cook scored 15 points, Ricky Davis had 11 and Joel Anthony finished with 10 - his first 10 points of the season - for Miami. The lightly used center was in only his sixth game of the season, scored his first NBA basket on a left hook over Howard with 1:40 left in the opening quarter, and even converted an alley-oop lob from Williams midway through the third quarter.

Notes:@ Orlando is 25-0 when holding teams under 95 points. ... Rothstein was 13-9 as Riley's replacement last season, when the Heat coach and president missed time following a hip replacement. ... Williams appeared to roll his right ankle on a 3-point try seconds before halftime, and spent a few moments writhing on the court, but started the second half. ... The Magic missed eight of their first 11 free throws, and at one point early in the second quarter, were shooting 40 percent from 3-point range (4-for-10) and 33 percent from the foul line (4-for-12).

[Associated Press; By TIM REYNOLDS]

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