The Heat were led by Dwyane Wade’s 25 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three blocks. He also hit 10-of-17 field goal attempts in only 29 minutes. Michael Beasley chipped in 22 points, while Quentin Richardson and Dorell Wright both had 11 points.

Although Orlando entered the game with a 19-6 record, you would have never known by just watching them play on Thursday night. Usually they share the ball well and knock down shots — but that wasn’t the case. The Magic finished with just 12 assists and hit 9-of-28 three-pointers and 9-of-17 free throws.

The Heat are now 13-11 after winning their last two games. The mini winning streak started after Carlos Arroyo was placed in the starting lineup ahead of Mario Chalmers. If Miami keeps winning, expect to keep seeing that lineup.

Dwyane Wade and the Heat were hot (Image: Zuma Press)

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Dwyane Wade and Heat Smoke Magic

Beasley finished the game with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Wade, per usual, led the way with 24 points, six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

The Magic, on the other hand, suffered a disappointing home loss. Jason Williams, starting in place of the injured Jameer Nelson, had 25 points and eight assists in 39 minutes. Dwight Howard had 12 points and 16 rebounds but only attempted five shots from the field.

Orlando had a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter but that evaporated due to Miami’s aggressive play on both ends. The win improves the Heat to 9-5, while the Magic dropped to 11-4 with the loss.

Here’s a look at Michael Beasley’s dunk that won the game:

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Michael Beasley Wins Game with Dunk – Video

In 32 minutes, Durant had 30 points, six rebounds and two assists while hitting 10-of-16 shots from the field and 9-of-10 free throw attempts. It was his second straight preseason game in which he scored exactly 30 points.

Against the Heat, Durant got plenty of help — namely from Jeff Green. The Georgetown product had 25 points and three rebunds in 36 minutes of action. Russell Westbrook chipped in with an impressive all around effort of 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.

For Miami, Michael Beasley led the way with 24 points, four rebounds and two assists. Playing without the injured Dwyane Wade, the Heat got double digit scoring performances from Daequan Cook, Quentin Richardson, Mario Chalmers and Jermaine O’Neal.

Will Kevin Durant Turn Into a Superstar this Season? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Kevin Durant Goes for 30 as Thunder Win

While Beasley was in rehab, he had contact with members of the Heat organization on a daily basis. Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of the Heat, thinks Beasley is prepared for training camp.

Said Spoelstra: “We’ve spent a great deal of time with him this summer, trying to develop him on the court but also off the court. He’s ready. He was excited to be back here.”

Last year as a rookie, Beasley averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 24.8 minutes. He shot 47.2% from the floor and 40.7% from beyond three-point range.

If Beasley can tackle his personal issues, expect his role on the Heat to grow. He’ll spend time at both small forward and power forward while likely being the team’s go-to option outside of Dwyane Wade.

Michael Beasley is out of rehab (Image: Zuma Press)

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Michael Beasley Out of Rehab

Exactly why the forward for the Miami Heat is in rehab isn’t totally clear. In a recent picture he posted on Twitter, Beasley was showing off a new tattoo. In the background, there appeared to be a bag of marijuana. That image has led many to believe that Beasley may be in drug rehab.

There are also signs that Beasley is having emotional problems. He had two Twitter messages that made it sound like he’s going through a rough time: “I feel like the whole world is against me I can’t win for losin” and “Feelin like it’s not worth livin!!!!!!! I’m done”.

Last year for the Heat, Beasley averaged 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game. Going into his second season, Beasley was set to see an increase in minutes and a more prominent role next to Dwyane Wade.

With this new developments, there’s no guarantee that Beasley will be ready for the rigors of the NBA by the time training camp begins. Right now, the hope is that he defeats any issues he is facing.

Michael Beasley enters rehab (Image: Newscom)

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Michael Beasley Enters Rehab Facility

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (Image: Newscom)

The Heat led 32-18 after the end of the first quarter and the Hawks struggled to mount any sort of comeback. The second half was dominated by Miami and they were able to post a resounding 98-72 win.

Helping out Wade was rookie Michael Beasley. The second overall pick in the draft scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds off the bench.

The Hawks were led by Mike Bibby’s 20 points, while Joe Johnson and Flip Murray both scored 13 points. Atlanta played without starting center Al Horford due to a sore foot. Marvin Williams was only able to play five minutes due to a wrist injury.

Game 7 will be played in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.

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Dwyane Wade Leads Heat to Force Game 7

OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
In college, everyone thought OJ Mayo was a ballhogging moron. But on the NBA level, he has proven that sentiment to be wrong. He’s been a very smart scorer who doesn’t overly force the action. Playing in Memphis hurts his chances.

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
Greg Oden was one of the most hyped rookies of the past 20 years coming into this season. But after getting hurt early on and not doing much since getting healthy, Oden still has a lot to prove before he could win the Rookie of the Year award. That said, if he gets on a dominant streak, he still has a chance.

Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
The Heat have made sure that Michael Beasley only gets to play when he’s defending. For that reason, his minutes have been somewhat sporadic. When he plays, Beasley has been pretty darn good. He can score from many spots on the court and can also rebound better than his size would indicate.

Photo credit: Newscom

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NBA Rookie of the Year Candidates and Odds