Magic-Heat Preview

By KEVIN MASSOTH

(AP) -- The Miami Heat are coming off a loss that coach Erik Spoelstra said felt like 10, so a return home to open a light stretch of the schedule is welcomed.

It starts with an in-state foe the Heat have lost to only once in over four years.

Miami hopes to rise out of a crowded top half of the Eastern Conference in the season's final three weeks, which features Friday night's first of three matchups against the fading Orlando Magic.

The Heat (41-30) beat the Magic 108-101 on Dec. 26 to continue a dominating 13-1 stretch in the series. Another victory would be their eighth in nine meetings in South Beach.

They can continue beating up on Orlando (29-42) with three matchups in the final 11 games, including a home-and-home set April 8-10.

Miami's fourth straight win in this series would help soften the blow of Wednesday's 112-88 loss at San Antonio, which featured a 31-point deficit. The Heat shot 48.1 percent but still finished with their lowest point total in 27 games by making only 7 of 12 free throws and committing 15 turnovers.

Eight of those miscues came while getting outscored 32-16 in the third quarter.

But after falling flat against the league's best defensive team, the Heat move on to the struggling Magic.

Orlando has allowed opponents to average 110.5 points on 48.8 percent shooting during a 5-13 stretch. The Magic are one of the league's worst teams with a 10-29 record since Jan. 1 and have lost five straight.

Miami has won seven of nine at home and plays its next four against teams without 30 wins. After hosting Orlando and Brooklyn, the Heat open a three-game road trip with matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento.

Miami hopes the easy stretch helps it catch Atlanta and Boston for the East's third seed, which it trails by one-half game along with Charlotte.

"We've just got to come out and take care of business," Dwyane Wade said. "Don't think too far ahead, play each game for what it's worth and what it is and keep going from there."

Wade's 27.2 career scoring average against the Magic is shy of only his 27.3 mark against Golden State. It's the third-highest average against Orlando behind Michael Jordan's 29.5 and Allen Iverson's 27.7.

One of Wade's three 50-point games came against the Magic in 2009, and he finished with 24 points and six assists in December.

Miami forward Luol Deng is expected to play after missing Wednesday's loss with a sore left quadriceps.

Orlando's playoff hopes have been all but dashed for the fourth straight season after a 2-9 slump leaves it with four teams to pass.

Elfrid Payton had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Wednesday's 118-112 loss at Detroit. The Magic shot 39.8 percent as leading scorer and rebounder Nikola Vucevic sat his 10th straight game with a right groin strain. Vucevic, averaging 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds, is day to day.

The Pistons became the fourth team in the last seven games to shoot at least 50.0 percent against Orlando, finishing at 53.8.

"They pretty much had everything going that they wanted tonight, and we weren't doing anything to take it away," Payton said. "We needed to force them into tougher shots, but we weren't doing it."

The Magic have lost five straight and 18 of 22 away from home.