Heat make Magic disappear with late surge for number 27

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Miami Heat forward LeBron James comes off the court while his team plays the Orlando Magic during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Orlando, Florida March 25, 2013.??[Photo/Agencies]

ORLANDO, Florida - LeBron James had 24 points and was a rebound shy of a triple-double as the Miami Heat used a fourth quarter surge to put away the Orlando Magic 108-94 and extend their winning streak to 27 games on Monday.

Tied 68-68 near the end of the third quarter, the Heat, powered by a 20-2 run, blasted clear of the gritty Magic to move within six of the Los Angeles Lakers' record of 33 successive wins set in the 1971-72 season.

While Orlando holds the second-worst record in the NBA with just 18 wins and languish a staggering 38.5 games back of their state rivals, the Florida Derby has not been as lop-sided as the two records would suggest.

Earlier in March, the Heat almost saw their run halted at 15 games until James hit a lay-up with just three seconds to play, securing Miami a 97-96 win.

But the job of stopping the streaking Heat on Monday was a lot tougher for the under-manned Magic who were without their top two scorers, Arron Afflalo and Nikola Vucevic.

The Heat were also were missing one of their 'Big Three', with Dwyane Wade sitting out for a second straight game with a sore right knee.

The All-Star guard was not missed, however, as Mario Chalmers chipped in with 17 points and Chris Bosh helped out with 12 points and nine rebounds.

After back-to-back games against the NBA's two bottom feeders, the Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando, the Heat's road to the record could get a little bumpier with the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets and Western conference-leading San Antonio Spurs on deck to close out March.