Magic’s Comeback Win Over Heat Defies Statistics And Logic

December 22, 2024

In what can only be described as a jaw-dropping turn of events, the Orlando Magic pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in recent NBA memory, erasing a 22-point deficit with 12 minutes left to stun the Miami Heat, 121-114, on Saturday night.

The result: Miami’s record in games with a 22-point lead entering the fourth quarter is no longer a perfect 796-0. It’s now 796-1.

This was a game that defied logic, statistics, and expectations. Miami looked in complete control, leading by 25 in the first half and up 22 heading into the final frame.

But the Magic outscored the Heat 37-8 in the fourth quarter, completing a rally that Magic coach Jamahl Mosley called “something I haven’t seen” in his years in the league.

“You can’t really explain that,” Mosley said, still processing the unimaginable. “Despite everything that happened earlier, the team stayed with it. The belief never wavered.”

For the Heat, it was a collapse of historic proportions. Captain Bam Adebayo summed it up simply: “We relaxed because we were up. I feel like that’s the karma of the game.”

Miami’s inability to close out the game was downright baffling. The Heat shot just 2-for-18 in the fourth, while the Magic shot 14-for-23. Orlando’s 29-point margin in the final quarter was the biggest in any game since Phoenix turned a 29-point deficit into a victory against New Orleans in February 2021.

And it wasn’t just the fourth quarter that was mind-boggling: The Heat had their best-scoring quarter (40 points in the first), best-scoring half (76 points in the first half), and worst-scoring quarter (8 points in the fourth) — all in the same game.

Even more perplexing? The Magic were shorthanded, missing stars Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Gary Harris. Moritz Wagner also went down with a possible serious knee injury in the first quarter. Yet somehow, Orlando did what no team had done in nearly five years: make up a 22-point deficit entering the fourth and win.

“This is the modern NBA right now, right? The 20-point lead is not what it was a decade ago,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You have to finish all the way through.”

And finish they did — for the Magic. In a game filled with statistical oddities, Cole Anthony put on a clinic in the final frame. He dropped 13 points in the fourth and finished with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists off the bench. That stat line — a 35-8-9 off the bench — had only been matched once since 1982 by none other than Stephen Curry in the 2016 playoffs.

“I’m so happy for this team, man,” Anthony said, unable to hide his excitement.

For the Heat, it’s a loss they’ll be hard-pressed to forget anytime soon.

Miami had every reason to believe this one was in the bag. Instead, it’s Orlando who will be remembering this victory for years to come — one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history.