With multiple rotation players sitting or playing limited minutes on the final day of the regular season, the Orlando Magic fell to Miami Heat 123-108 Sunday in Miami, finishing with a 34-48 record.
After being eliminated from contending for a spot in the play-in tournament with their Tuesday loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Magic shifted their focus to trying out different rotations to close out the season.
Orlando started with the lineup of Markelle Fultz (7 points in 11 minutes), Jalen Suggs (8 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 15 minutes), Caleb Houstan, Franz Wagner (10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 15 minutes) and Wendell Carter Jr. for the first time, with most of the starting lineup playing 16 or fewer minutes.
Houstan scored a career-high 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting (5 of 11 on 3-pointers).
Kevon Harris had a career-high 22 points (7-of-12 shooting, 4-of-7 on 3s) and 8 rebounds off the bench. Chuma Okeke had 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 33 minutes.
Forward Paolo Banchero (back tightness), forward Jonathan Isaac (season-ending left inner thigh surgery on March 3), guard Jay Scrubb (ineligible to play) and forward Moe Wagner (sprained right ankle) sat.
Udonis Haslem, who played in his final regular season game with the Heat after a 20-year career in Miami, led his team with a game-high 24 points — his highest-scoring game since having 28 on Nov. 14, 2009 and tied for the second-most points he scored during his NBA career.
The Heat (44-38) were already locked in at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the top spot to qualify for the postseason play-in tournament.
They sat Jimmy Butler (rest) and Nikola Jovic (back spasms). Most of the Heat’s regular rotation played limited minutes, including none in the second half.
Miami will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday at the newly-named Kaseya Center to determine who’ll be the No. 7 seed for the East’s playoff bracket and play the Boston Celtics in the first round. The loser will host the conference’s concluding play-in game on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.
The Magic’s 12-win improvement from last season was the most in the East and the third-most in the league behind the Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sunday’s loss and the Indiana Pacers beating the New York Knicks ensured the Magic would have at least the sixth-best odds for the May 16 draft lottery.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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