Nelson, Howard push Magic past Heat in OT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jameer Nelson scored four of his 25 points on a point 98 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Dwight Howard, still the focus of trade rumors, had 24 points and 25 rebounds and the Magic pulled within four games of first-place Miami in the Southeast Division.
Dwyane Wade scored 28 points and LeBron James had 19 with 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Heat, who had a three-game overall winning streak snapped and lost their third straight on the road for the second time this season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Howard gave the Magic the lead with two free throws, Nelson provided a cushion.
His first layup, after a crossover near the top of the key, came on a left- handed drive through the paint for a left-handed finish. Howard blocked James at the other end to set the basket up.
Then, with under a minute to play, Nelson split James and another defender up top and got to the basket before Chris Bosh could rotate over, finishing on an underhand layup with his back to the basket to make it 102-96.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wade got the Heat within two, but he missed a three-pointer and James missed two of them down the stretch.
Earlier, Wade had knocked down a three with under 40 seconds to play in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 94-94. It went to overtime after Nelson's three-point try hit the front of the rim and Wade's 22-foot jumper rattled out of the hoop near the buzzer.
The game was tight early, too, with the Magic holding a 30-27 lead after the first quarter. The Heat shot better than 58 percent in the second and carried a 56-45 lead into halftime. Miami's advantage was cut to a point, 73-72, going into the fourth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bosh had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Heat while J.J. Redick scored 17 and Ryan Anderson had 16 with 12 rebounds for Orlando.
Game Notes
The teams split two previous meetings this season, with both winning on their home courts last month. They will play again on Sunday in Miami...First, the Magic will travel to play San Antonio on Wednesday night and the Heat will remain on the road in Chicago, also on Wednesday.