Heat blows 22-point fourth-quarter lead with historically bad finish in loss to Magic. Takeaways

Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s stunning 121-114 loss to the Orlando Magic (18-12) on Saturday night at Kia Center on the back end of a back-to-back set to drop its third straight game. The Heat (13-13) now returns home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday:

This was a game between two short-handed teams that the Heat should have won and was in position to win ... until one of the worst fourth quarters in franchise and NBA history.

The Heat was without one of its top three players, as Jimmy Butler did not play on Saturday because of a stomach illness. Kevin Love (personal reasons) and Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation) were also unavailable for the Heat.

But the Magic entered without its top three players, as Paolo Banchero (torn right oblique), Jalen Suggs (sprained right ankle) and Franz Wagner (torn right oblique) all missed Saturday’s game. Orlando was also without Gary Harris (strained left hamstring) before also losing Moe Wagner to an apparent knee injury late in the first quarter and Wendell Carter Jr. to an ejection in the second quarter.

The Magic entered with the Eastern Conference’s fourth-best record and NBA’s third-best defensive rating this season.

But the Magic was far from full health on Saturday, and it showed early in the contest.

Even without Butler, the Heat erupted for 76 points in the first half for its highest-scoring half of the season. Miami shot 62.2 percent from the field, 8 of 18 (44.4 percent from three-point range and 22 of 28 (78.6 percent) from the foul line in the first two quarters.

As a result, the Heat led by as many as 25 points in the first half before entering halftime with a 20-point advantage.

But the Heat wasted all that good work, wilting in the fourth quarter against a depleted Magic roster.

The Heat entered the fourth quarter with a 22-point lead, but the Magic began the period on a huge 26-3 run to take a one-point lead with 2:43 to play. It represented Orlando’s first lead since the first quarter.

The Heat scored just three points over the first 9:17 of the fourth quarter.

The Heat never recovered, as the Magic didn’t trail again and extended its lead to seven points in the final seconds to complete the miraculous fourth-quarter comeback.

The Magic dominated the Heat down the stretch, winning the fourth quarter 37-8.

That 29-point margin matches the most points that the Heat has ever lost a single quarter by in franchise history, with Miami also losing a fourth quarter by 29 points in a Dec. 17, 1991 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s also tied for the seventh-most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA history.

The eight points scored in Saturday’s fourth quarter is tied for the fourth-fewest points that the Heat has totaled in a fourth quarter in franchise history.

According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, NBA teams leading by 22 points or more entering the fourth quarter were 796-0 in games since Dec. 22, 2019 before the Heat blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead on Saturday.

“I feel like we relaxed because we were up,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “I feel like that’s the karma of the game. You relax and then you let a guy get hot, and then it goes the other way and you’re trying to fight back.”

While Orlando shot 60.9 percent from the field and 4 of 8 (50 percent) from three-point range in the fourth quarter, Miami shot just 2 of 18 (11.1 percent) from the field and 0 of 8 from behind the arc in the final period. The Heat also committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter.

“They stepped up their defense, they got stops,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what they do. We started to try to self-will a little bit versus that pressure, that led to turnovers. And then when we did get open looks, we weren’t in a rhythm and you’re feeling a little bit of the momentum shift. It’s tough to knock those down.”

Cole Anthony led the Magic with a game-high 35 points to go with eight rebounds and nine assists. Anthony scored 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Adebayo (23 points) and Tyler Herro (22 points) combined for 45 points for the Heat in the loss. But they combined for just three points in the fourth quarter.

“These are tough lessons that we all have to learn,” Spoelstra said.

With Butler out, the Heat opened Saturday’s contest with a lineup that had never played game minutes together.

The Heat used a starting lineup of Dru Smith, Herro, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic and Adebayo against the Magic. It marked Miami’s fifth different starting lineup in 26 games this season.

This five-man combination had never played in a game together prior to starting on Saturday in Orlando.

The lineup was outscored by the Magic by six points in nine minutes together.

The two new faces in the Heat’s starting lineup were Smith and Jovic, with Smith starting in place of the ill Butler and Jovic starting in place of Haywood Highsmith. Highsmith returned to a bench role on Saturday after starting in 17 straight appearances.

“It was a little bit different because of their frontline size and we’re built for it without Jimmy that we can just slide Niko in there, particularly now that he’s healthy,” Spoelstra said of Saturday’s lineup change against the Magic. “I thought those minutes helped us in terms of size. It wasn’t anything against H. The dynamic changes if Jimmy is out. And who we play, it was a different kind of team with a big frontline.”

Jovic finished the loss with four points and one rebound in 19 minutes.

Smith ended the night with 14 points, four rebounds and four steals in 26 minutes.

Before Saturday’s change, the Heat posted a quality 8-4 record when going with the starting lineup of Herro, Robinson, Butler, Highsmith and Adebayo. The Heat has used that starting lineup in 12 of the last 14 games — the only two times it didn’t use this group during that span came when Butler was unavailable against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 2 because of knee soreness and against the Magic on Sunday because of a stomach illness.

This unit was also among the NBA’s best lineups during that stretch, outscoring opponents by 12.4 points per 100 possessions during that 12-game run.

Whether or not the Heat goes back to the starting lineup of Herro, Robinson, Butler, Highsmith and Adebayo when Butler returns remains to be seen.

The bench rotation also looked a little different on Saturday, as the Heat used rookie center Kel’el Ware in a game for the first time in nearly a month.

With Love unavailable against the Magic, the Heat used Ware as its backup center on Saturday. It marked Ware’s first game action with the Heat since Nov. 27, as he was held out or on G League assignment in the previous nine games.

The 20-year-old Ware made a positive impact, too.

Ware, who was selected by the Heat with the 15th overall pick in the first round of this year’s draft, closed the ugly loss with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes off the bench. Even in the loss, the Heat outscored the Magic by 26 points with Ware on the court.

“I thought he was really good,” Spoelstra said of Ware after the defeat.

Ware’s first stint was especially impressive, as he blocked a layup attempt from Tristan da Silva and then threw down a dunk in transition on the other end just seconds after entering the game midway through the first quarter.

Ware then completed another dunk with the help of an alley-oop lob from Heat guard Terry Rozier a few minutes later.

But Ware did not play in Saturday’s fourth quarter.

Ware was part of a five-man Heat bench rotation that also included Jaime Jaquez Jr., Rozier, Pelle Larsson and Highsmith.

It has been a shaky season so far for Rozier, but he turned in one of his best performances of the season in Saturday’s loss.

Rozier finished the loss with a season-high 23 points in 34 minutes off the bench. It’s only the second time this season that Rozier has reached the 20-point mark.

Saturday also included Rozier’s highest-scoring half of the season, totaling 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 shooting on threes and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line in the first half.

But like the rest of the Heat’s roster, Rozier was quiet in the fourth quarter. He scored just one point in eight fourth-quarter minutes.

Rozier, who started in the Heat’s first 12 games this season before being moved to a bench role, entered Saturday averaging 11.5 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting from the field and 34.6 percent shooting from three-point range this season.

Two-way contract players Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson were available for the Heat on Saturday after playing in a G League game earlier in the day. But they didn’t get an opportunity to complete the rare G League-NBA doubleheader.

With the G League Showcase also taking place in Orlando, Christopher and Johnson helped the Heat’s G League affiliate — the Sioux Falls Skyforce — defeat the Iowa Wolves 117-104 on Saturday afternoon at the Orange County Convention Center to advance to the championship game of the G League Showcase.

Christopher totaled 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in the Skyforce’s win. Johnson contributed 13 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Christopher and Johnson then made the short drive to join the Heat for Saturday night’s game against the Magic at Kia Center. Both were in uniform for the Heat, but did not play against the Magic.

Christopher has yet to play for the Heat this season. Johnson has played limited minutes in two appearances for the Heat this season.

Christopher and Johnson will now stay in Orlando to try to help the Skyforce win the G League Showcase title. The Skyforce will take on the Westchester Knicks in the event’s championship contest on Sunday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando (7:30 p.m, ESPN2).