'Relaxed' Heat pay price as Magic overturn big deficit

Holding visiting Miami to just eight fourth-quarter points, the Orlando Magic rallied from 22 points down at the start of the final period to beat the Heat 121-114 on Dec 21.

ORLANDO - Holding visiting Miami to just eight fourth-quarter points, the Orlando Magic rallied from 22 points down at the start of the final period to beat the Heat 121-114 on Dec 21.

Said Miami captain Bam Adebayo: "We relaxed because we were up. I feel like that's the karma of the game."

His coach Erik Spoelstra added: "This is the modern NBA right now, right? The 20-point lead is not what it was a decade ago and you have to finish all the way through."

However, according to the Associated Press, in the last five years, inclusive of the playoffs, there had been 796 instances of a team having such a lead of at least 22 points with 12 minutes left entering the fourth quarter.

Never once had the leading team gone on to lose.