Heat battles through Jimmy Butler suspension to take down Magic in 2OT

01/27/2025 10:38 PM

MIAMI – On the day that Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler was suspended indefinitely, the team beat the Orlando Magic in the ultimate rollercoaster in double overtime, 125-119. While the goal for the Heat was to downplay the situation away from the team, there is no doubt the victory will give them major momentum heading into their next game on Wednesday.

Tyler Herro had another impressive game with 30 points on 12 for 28 shooting from the field and four of 15 from deep to go along with 12 assists and eight rebounds. Bam Adebayo would have a great game with 26 points on 10 for 15 shooting from the field with 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Kel’el Ware also had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Duncan Robinson had 15 points, Nikola Jovic had 15, and Terry Rozier was the final one in double-digits with 11.

Here are three takeaways from the Heat’s loss to the Magic in overtime:

Inconsistent first half for the Heat

As the Heat deal with the drama surrounding Butler, they started the game against Orlando on the right foot as they came out to a 10-point lead early. At one point, they shot eight of 12 from the field and two of six from beyond the arc, meaning they didn’t miss a two-point field goal to start.

However, the double-digit lead would be erased within four minutes of game-time as the Magic would dwindle their deficit to one point with two minutes left in the first period. They would go on a 21-9 run to get the lead after one period as they shot 50 percent from both the field and deep.

The Magic got out to a double-digit lead of their own as they started the second period on a 10-2 rim as they were perfect from the field to begin. However, the Heat would cover some ground towards the end of the second quarter where they dwindled their deficit down to four points by halftime.

Herro would find his rhythm in the second quarter having nine points, shooting four of five from the field, including making his only attempt from deep, which was his first of the game with under 30 seconds left in the first half.

It was a very inconsistent first half for the home team as they’re trying to quiet all the outside noise as Butler is the talk around the organization.

Heat come alive to take the game into overtime against Magic

The Heat would have their worst offensive output in the third period as they scored 24 points as they shot nine of 19 from the field and four of 12 from deep as the Magic shot 50 percent from the field and four of nine from three-point range. Three of Miami’s deep shots were from the Heat’s first-round rookie Kel’el Ware who has been impressive since starting in the lineup.

Going into the fourth quarter, the team finally gained back some momentum after they were down by 14 at one point as they scored 29 in the final period, the highest point total in the entire game for them. There would be huge plays made by Ware and Nikola Jovic, including a lob from the latter that blew the roof off the Kaseya Center which was lively in the fourth.

They would tie the game and eventually take back the lead, but Orlando would get off their mini-slump and tie the game back up. Herro had a chance to win it before the buzzer but missed on a deep three taking the game into overtime.

It would be a stress-inducing overtime period for the team as they were down six points but found a way once again to make it close. They would end up tying the game with a Jovic bucket and once they got the ball from Orland off the great defense, they had the ball with 1.8 seconds left in the game as Erik Spoelstra called timeout.

Both teams were way off in their final shots with not ample time, so both teams went to double overtime. The Heat would outscore the Magic 9-3 with Adebayo hitting tough shots to put them in the driver’s seats to win an absolute thriller.

Heat still deals with Jimmy Butler’s situation

Monday night featured another game where there was immense uncertainty going into it if Butler would play coming off a suspension. After Butler served his two-game suspension for missing a team flight to Milwaukee, the expectation became that he would rejoin the team and come back to play in games.

Fast forward to Monday morning when Butler took part in Miami’s shootaround which led some to believe that he would play, but it wasn’t until later in the day that it was announced he would be suspended indefinitely. The team cited a “continued pattern of disregard of team rule” which included “walking out of practice.”

“The Miami HEAT are suspending Jimmy Butler without pay effective immediately for an indefinite period to last no fewer than five games,” the statement read. “The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services. This includes walking out of practice earlier today.”

Reportedly by ESPN, the 35-year-old was told he would come off the bench as Haywood Highsmith would start in his place which caused him to walk out. This is one of the many transgressions between Butler and Heat that has led to immense talk ahead of the trade deadline.

Speaking of which, the indefinite suspension has a minimum of five games which is just enough until the Feb. 6 deadline when Miami will look to find the right deal for Butler. In the meantime, the Heat host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

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