Heat Succeeds in Debut

The Miami Heat picked a grand way to celebrate its new arena.

The Heat overcame a 93-83 deficit in the final 2:32 of the fourth quarter and defeated the Orlando Magic, 111-103, in overtime Sunday night in the first game at the $215-million American Airlines Arena.

The game drew a sellout crowd of 19,600, but many fans departed before the wild finish.

“We’re going to have to be better than we were tonight to keep people interested,” Heat Coach Pat Riley said.

Alonzo Mourning’s eight-foot jumper with eight seconds left tied it at 96. Orlando’s Pat Garrity missed a 20-footer as time expired, forcing overtime.

Voshon Lenard led the Heat with 22 points.

Around the League

Seven-foot center Eric Riley signed with Minnesota, replacing forward Wally Szczerbiak, who’s on the injured list because of an inflamed right knee. . . . The Rocky Mountain News reported the contract signed by Denver Nugget point guard Nick Van Exel in August could give him as much as $77 million over seven years if he can make all of his incentives.