Miami Heat struggles in loss to Orlando Magic

Before the game, Erik Spoelstra said his hope was that the grueling six-game road trip awaiting the Heat would galvanize his team and usher in a new level of defensive consistency. It didn’t start out that way.

Without its starting point guard for the first time this season, the Heat played listlessly Wednesday at Amway Center and lost to the Magic 102-89. It was Miami’s second loss of the season to a divisional opponent. The Heat (19-7 overall) is now 4-4 on the second night of back-to-backs. “They set the tone right from the get-go,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Magic.