The Miami Heat struggled against the Orlando Magic on March 13, losing their second straight game at the Amway Center.

The Heat came out firing on all cylinders against the Magic, taking an eleven point lead into halftime. Unfortunately for the Heat, they weren’t able to get anything going in the third quarter, getting outscored by 10 points.

Both teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for some fourth quarter theatrics. Unfortunately, Dwyane Wade missed the potential game-winning shot, forcing the game into overtime.

The Magic took control in overtime – aided by some controversial calls, walking away with the six point victory.

“The third quarter we did not play our best basketball,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “We gave them life, gave them an opportunity to get back into the game. … We had opportunities in the fourth quarter and overtime but we weren’t able to capitalize on them. The rebounding really was a factor in this game.”

Rebounding was certainly a factor in Miami’s loss, with the Heat getting out-rebounded by 10. Udonis Haslem — who is usually a strong rebounder for Miami — finished with only three rebounds against Orlando.

Dwyane Wade led Miami’s offense against Orlando, finishing with a game-high 28 points. He also added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to the stat sheet.

Chris Bosh also played well against the Magic, putting up 23 points and 8 rebounds.

LeBron struggled with his shot, shooting 35 percent from field. But he still found other ways to help his team, pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

Miami’s “big three” definitely did their part against the Magic, but they didn’t get that much help from their bench. For the third straight game, Miami’s bench struggled on the court, putting up a combined 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Miami’s next game will be against the Chicago Bulls on March 14. The Bulls are currently at the top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings (leading the Heat by 2 ½ games), and the Heat will be in for another tightly contested game.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Joseph Goodman, “Miami Heat falls to Orlando Magic in overtime”

Player and game information from ESPN

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The Miami Heat will try to take a step closer to the top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings when they face the Orlando Magic on March 13. The Heat ran into some major problems in their last visit to Orlando, losing 102-89 on Feb. 8. They’ll look for a better outcome this time around, as they start a pretty tough three-game road trip.

After losing two of their first three games after the All-Star break, the Heat are back on track, winning their last three outings.

Dwyane Wade led the Heat in their last outing against the Indiana Pacers, finishing with 28 points and 7 assists. LeBron also played well against the Pacers, putting up 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Both men played particularly well in the final moments of the game, stepping up at clutch-time and securing the win for Miami.

“It was about getting the best shot,” Wade told reporters after the Heat’s overtime victory against the Pacers. “We all had trust. Everyone was touching the ball and moving it until we got the shot that we wanted.”

Miami bench has struggled in their last two outings, finishing with a combined 15 points against the Pacers. The Heat’s bench has been their biggest improvement this season. And they’ll need a little more from their role players, as they make their push for the top spot in the east.

The Magic are also coming off a win against the Pacers, winning their March 11 encounter 107-94. As usual, Dwight Howard led the Magic in their last outing, finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds. The Heat will need to contain Howard, if they want to walk away with the victory. It’ll be interesting to see how focused Howard is against the Heat; given the fact Tuesday’s game could potentially be his last with Orlando.

I’m sure the Heat will be up to the task against Orlando, and I expect them to start off their three-game road trip with a win against the Magic.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Sports Network, “Miami Heat (31-9) at Orlando Magic (27-15), 7 p.m. (ET)”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

LeBron Leads Heat to Blowout Victory Against Cavaliers

Miami Heat Burns Orlando Magic 90-78

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Miami Heat won another close encounter on March 7, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 89-86 at the American Airlines Arena. With the win, the Heat are now 3-2 since the All-Star game, trailing the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls by two games.

The Wednesday encounter between the two teams started out competitively, but the Hawks started pulling away in the third quarter. Luckily for the Heat, a late third quarter surge brought them back into the game. And Dwyane Wade stepped up big in the final moments of the game.

“You have to sometimes win them ugly and that was ugly there for a while,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “We certainly weren’t in a great flow offensively … but we were able to push through and grind out a win.”

LeBron James had another big game against the Hawks, putting up 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists.

“We needed one of these games,” LeBron told reporters. “It’s about time we had one of these games where we had to fight for every minute, all the way down the stretch. … It was good for us to close this game out.”

Wade played a huge role in Miami’s win as well, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

“Tonight was one of those nights where we couldn’t get it going, couldn’t get it going, couldn’t get it going but we stuck with it and finally got the lead,” Wade said. “I think last year in a game like this we probably would have lost.”

Chris Bosh struggled with his jumper against Atlanta, shooting 21 percent from the field. He finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Besides LeBron and Wade, no other player on the Heat’s roster finished with double-digit scoring against the Hawks. They’ll certainly need to address that issue, before their March 10 matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade lead Heat past Hawks”

Joseph Goodman, “Miami Heat rallies to defeat Atlanta Hawks”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

LeBron Leads Heat to Blowout Victory Against Cavaliers

Miami Heat Burns Orlando Magic 90-78

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Miami Heat had their nine-game winning streak snapped when LeBron James passed up the final shot in a 99-98 loss to the Utah Jazz. When the Heat came into town to face the Los Angeles Lakers, there was no need for LeBron to take a final shot – it’s not like he would anyway. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a 93-83 win over the Eastern Conference superpower. Earning this victory for the Lakers was an indicator of just how much they have progressed in the last month. The Lakers focused on what they wanted to do to the Heat and executed mightily.

There were many storylines heading into this contest, but let’s look at some of the storylines that turned the game in favor of the Lakers:

LeBron James couldn’t do it alone

LeBron James has recently been criticized for his unwillingness to take the final shot of the game when necessary. In this game with the Lakers, that was not necessary as the Heat lost by 10 points. The Heat star couldn’t get things done on his own as Chris Bosh missed his third game due to a death in his family and Dwyane Wade fouled out of the game with 5:14 left – just the second time in his career he’s fouled out. Even with Wade on the floor, the Lakers were taking it to the Heat and showing the league exactly what kind of basketball team they really are.

The mask is working

Whatever Kobe Bryant has done to gain an advantage using that mask is working. He has scored at least 30 points in each of the three games since the All-Star break, when Wade broke his nose on a hard foul during the All-Star game. The mask has become somewhat of a symbol of Kobe’s status as a superhero in L.A. Kobe playing with a mask shows fans just how dedicated he is to making the Lakers better. He hasn’t missed a game this year and whether it was a torn ligament in his wrist or a broken nose he still continues to produce.

Metta World Peace

For the second game in a row Metta World Peace was looking more and more like the Ron Artest we had all come to know during his days in Sacramento – when he would average close to 20 points per game. World Peace scored 17 points against the Heat after his 15 point performance against his old team, the Sacramento Kings. If this is the re-emergence of World Peace’s offensive abilities, then I would have to say that it is about time. Not only did he put down 17 points, but he also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three assists and even blocked one shot. Welcome back World Peace.

The Lakers now head out on the road for three games, including one back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, followed by a game with the Minnesota Timberwolves. All of these games may be just the thing the Lakers need to continue their steak and open up their play on the road – especially in trying to improve their road record.

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers vs. Heat Recap. NBA 2012.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

MLB Adds Extra Wild Card Team in Each League: Fan Reaction

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Los Angeles Lakers Vs. Miami Heat: Fan Preview

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The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a 115-107 win over the Sacramento Kings on March 2 and now all of their attention has turned to the Miami Heat. This will be the second and last meeting of the regular season for these two teams, with the Lakers dropping the last one in Miami on January 19 by a score of 98-87. While these two teams are both are considered to be contenders in their respective conferences, I’m not too sure just yet they will be seeing each other again this year. The only way for that to happen, of course, would be if both teams made it to the NBA Finals.

The Heat just had their impressive nine-game winning streak snapped and the Lakers are beginning to roll at home, having won seven straight there – and are 16-2 overall at home this season. Let’s look at some of the story lines coming into this matchup:

Kobe Bryant/Dwyane Wade Foul

In the All-Star game, Wade fouled Bryant pretty hard and it resulted in Bryant suffering a broken nose and concussion. It is for that reason that Bryant is wearing a mask. Bryant and Wade have both stated that there was no ill-intent and Wade has apologized to Bryant profusely. While everything may be well and good between the two stars, I’m not too sure how Bryant’s Laker teammates are feeling about the incident. If anything I’d watch for how Metta World Peace guards Wade if given the opportunity. His new name may conjure warm, fuzzy feelings, but Ron Artest still lingers in that body – and we all know what that means.

Lakers’ Home Court Advantage

The Lakers have absolutely been tearing it up at home, having won seven straight at Staples Center. The Lakers’ play at home is infinitely better than their play on the road and they have only lost twice at home all season. They are going to need to milk that home court advantage against a potent Heat team. The Heat are gunning for their second consecutive NBA Finals at a rapid pace, but still find themselves trailing the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers are now fourth in the Western Conference due to their play at home. With a win against the Heat and a Los Angeles Clippers loss, the Lakers will move into third place in the West and first place in the Pacific Division. So, to say the least, this game is important for the Lakers’ confidence and could affect their playoff positioning.

LeBron James’ Last-Second Passing

James has had trouble putting up last-second shots while playing for the Heat. In Cleveland he was more prone to taking the last-second shot, but still there was some hesitation on his part. In the All-Star game, he had a chance to win the game with second left – had he taken the shot. Instead he tried to pass the ball cross-court to Wade and it got intercepted by Blake Griffin. Immediately after, reports flooded in that Bryant went up to James and told him he should have taken the shot. If this game is a close one I would look out for James actually attempting to take the shot if given the opportunity. It would in fact be his way of redeeming himself – at least somewhat in the eyes of the basketball world.

Regardless, this game is important for the Lakers. Chris Bosh may be out again after a death in his family, so both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are going to have an opportunity to have a big game at Staples Center. The Lakers and Heat will battle it out to the end, but Bryant will lead the Lakers to a close win.

Prediction: Lakers 98 – Heat 96

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

NBA.com. Lakers vs. Kings Recap. NBA 2012.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

MLB Adds Extra Wild Card Team in Each League: Fan Reaction

49ers Put Franchise Tag on Goldson: Fan Reaction

San Jose Sharks Vs. St. Louis Blues: Fan Preview

Warriors Get Blown Out by 76ers: Fan Reaction

Bryant Outscores Bench as Lakers Beat Kings 115-107: Fan Reaction

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Miami Heat fell short on March 2, losing 99-98 to the Utah Jazz. With the loss, Miami’s nine-game winning streak came to an end, and they’ve lost the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings to the Chicago Bulls.

The Heat came out flat against the Jazz, but a strong second half performance got them back in the game. LeBron James certainly had a lot to do with their comeback, dropping 17 points in the final quarter of the game. Unfortunately for the Heat, Udonis Haslem wasn’t able to convert on the potential game winning shot.

LeBron had a remarkable game against the Jazz, shooting 67 percent from the field. James finished the game with 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Even with LeBron’s monstrous performance, some critics still blamed him for the loss, implying he bailed on his team by dishing out the final shot to Haslem.

“I just try to make the right plays and do what it takes to win basketball games,” LeBron told reporters after the game. “At the end of the day, games are not lost on one shot at the end or me not taking a shot. But I know the chatter will begin. I wanted that game as bad as anyone else on that floor.”

Dwyane Wade also had a big game against the Jazz, putting up 31 points and 6 rebounds.

“We are a very confident team,” Wade told reporters. “We never feel like we are out of the game. You just have to keep chipping away. We have guys that can make plays on both ends of the floor, so we are always very confident that we can get back into the game, especially on the road, to give ourselves the opportunity to win.”

Shane Battier stepped up his game against the Jazz, going 6-7 from beyond the arc. Battier walked away with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Miami’s next game will be against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 4. It should be a very entertaining game; given the fact the best three players in the NBA will be sharing the same court.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Jazz hold off Heat as Udonis Haslem’s last-second jumper misses mark”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

LeBron Leads Heat to Blowout Victory Against Cavaliers

Miami Heat Burns Orlando Magic 90-78

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.