Heat celebrate Pat Riley then crumble in 116-97 season-opening loss to Magic

MIAMI — On a night the Miami Heat honored Pat Riley for getting it right, Erik Spoelstra’s team offered a tutorial on getting it wrong.

Thus an odd night of juxtaposition, with Riley feted at halftime in a ceremony naming the court at Kaseya Center in his honor, and the Heat then going from bad to worse in a 116-97 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Having entered with a rivalized goal of outpacing and outshooting the opposition, the Heat achieved neither, outscored 54-33 on 3-pointers, with only an 18-17 advantage in fast-break points.

This was nothing close to what was envisioned during an upbeat 4-1 preseason, with leading men Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo both lagging.

After a 1-of-7 first half by Butler, Adebayo did not convert his first basket of the season until 4:26 remained in the third period, at a juncture the Magic already had pushed a three-point halftime lead into the 20s.

There were assorted bright spots from Spoelstra’s rotation, including 19 points from Terry Rozier, 15 from Nikola Jovic and 14 from Tyler Herro.

But on an evening that Riley reminded about so much winning over these past three decades, the Heat offered a reminder of finishing behind the Magic in last season’s Southeast Division race.

It came on a night when Magic forward Paolo Banchero not only was the best player on the court, but the best by a wide margin, closing with 33 points and 11 rebounds.

Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday night’s game against the Magic:

— 1. Game flow: It was tied 32-32 after the first quarter, with the Magic then taking a 58-54 lead into halftime, a juncture when Adebayo and Butler were a combined 1 of 10 from the field.

It got worse, far worse, from there, with the Magic taking a 97-72 lead into the fourth.

In that decisive third period, the Magic not only outscored the Heat 39-18, but shot 14 of 21 from the field, compared to the Heat’s 5 of 19, including 4 of 13 on 3-pointers.

That ultimately ended the night for Butler and Adebayo.

Eventually, Spoelstra emptied his bench with 6:15 to play and the Heat down 116-84, giving draft picks Kel’el Ware and Pelle Larsson their first action.

— 2. This bad: So how bad for Butler and Adebayo? This bad: Each closed the game at -30.

In his 25:49, Butler shot 1 of 8 from the field for three points, including 0 for 2 on 3-pointers, with five assists and four rebounds.

In his 25:31, Adebayo closed 1 of 5 from the field, compensating by shooting 7 of 10 from the line, finishing with nine points. Adebayo also was 0 for 2 on 3-pointers, with five rebounds and one assist.

— 3. As expected: There was no preseason rope-a-dope from Spoelstra. As had been the case during the preseason, the Heat opened with a lineup of Adebayo, Jovic, Butler, Tyler Herro and Rozier.

The opening tip marked the first time those five ever were on the court together during a regular-season game.

Jovic was particularly active early, with a driving transition layup and then a 3-pointer, scoring nine of the Heat’s first 17 points. Those, however, also would be his only nine points.

Cycled into the rotation in the opening period were Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Thomas Bryant and Duncan Robinson.

Bryant got the opportunity with Kevin Love unavailable due to personal reasons.

Spoelstra even dared second-period minutes without either Butler or Adebayo on the court, playing to the scoring of Herro.

— 4. Style points?: While it wasn’t quite the 3-point-a-thon the Heat had advertised with their preseason play, there was a decided push for early pace, with 12 fast-break points by the midpoint of the second period, the total the Heat had averaged per game last season.

And then it stopped, the Magic essentially running the Heat off the court, the Heat with six fast-break points the rest of the night.

— 5. Riley ceremony: Halftime was extended for the ceremony to dedicate the court in honor of Riley, now known as “Pat Riley Court at Kaseya Center.”

Among former Riley players who were in attendance for the event that also honored Riley’s 30 seasons with the franchise were Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic, Udonis Haslem, Alonzo Mourning, Mike Miller, Jamal Mashburn, Norris Cole, Dorell Wright and Keith Askins.

Of the honor, Riley said at center court, “This is even beyond my imagination of an award for a man’s life work.”

Riley closed with, “L.A. Showtime was great. New York Madison Square Garden was exciting. The Miami Heat was, is and always will be family.”