- How To Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Orlando); FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Miami); NBA League Pass
- STREAM MAGIC-HEAT ON FUBO TV
- How to Listen: WYGM 96.9 FM/740 AM (Orlando); FM 104.3 WQAM (Miami); WAQI 710 (Miami); Sirius XM Channel 213 (Magic); NBA Audio League Pass
- FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
- Tickets: $56-$499+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; Dec. 5 in Orlando; Jan. 28 in Miami; March 14 in Miami
Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Miami | 2025 Season | Orlando |
|---|---|---|
97.1 | Pace | 96.5 |
112.4 | Off. Rtg. | 108.9 |
112.0 | Def. Rtg. | 109.1 |
54.4 | eFG% | 51.0 |
26.3 | O.Reb.% | 30.2 |
13.8 | TO% | 14.7 |
23.2 | FTR | 26.9 |
3. Getting in sync
Everyone is curious how this thing for the Orlando Magic is going to work. What does this team look like with a playmaking, high-volume shooter in Desmond Bane? Have Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner truly taken a leap? What happens when you throw Jalen Suggs into the mix?
The Magic have had precious few minutes in the preseason with their three main players, with the team having sat them out for various games. It amounted to barely any time to figure out how that trio works together. And, of course, Suggs was not in the lineup as he recovers from his knee injury.
There was still a lot to like with the team's pace picked up and the spacing a lot better for those players to attack. The Magic will still have a few things to iron out as they get in better shape and get on the same page.
It could be a little bumpy in this first game. But there will be signs of how it will work. Just like there was in the Magic's undefeated preseason.
2. Focused on Pace
Both the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat played with some of the lowest possession counts in the league last year. They both struggled to pick up the pace and had often plodding offenses that struggled to find rhythm. They both ranked in the bottom 10 in fast-break points last year.
Both teams want to change that.
They have both emphasized playing faster in the preseason. The two teams ranked in the top half of the league in pace during the preseason and the Heat led the league in fast break points during the preseason.
How fast and how much both teams ratchet up that tempo with the regulars getting their regular minutes will be the big question. What will actually carry over from the preseason? That is the big question facing these teams as they try to find their identities.
1. The Jalen Suggs Question
It has been nearly nine months since the last time Jalen Suggs took the floor in an Orlando Magic uniform. It has felt like a lifetime since he last played. And the Magic have felt that absence without his energy and intensity.
Suggs is ramping up to play and will be AVAILABLE to play in Wednesday's season opener. What will Suggs bring to the floor? Will he be able to dial up his intensity while managing his return from a knee injury? What can he bring offensively?
Suggs has been working diligently to rehab after knee surgery in February. It has been a long, arduous process to get back. He has been playing contact for only the last week and jumped into 5-on-5 drills and games only a few days ago. Suggs is going to look rusty.
But Suggs is the kind of player that takes the Magic from very good to contender. And the Magic are going to need all of him. Whatever they can get from Suggs now is big in this team's development.
Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Miami Heat Injury Report
- Tyler Herro - OUT (Left Ankle Surgery)
- Terry Rozier - AVAILABLE (Left Hamstring Strain)
- Kel'el Ware - QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain)
- Nikola Jovic - AVAILABLE (Low Back Pain)
- Kasparas Jakucionis - OUT (Right Groin Strain)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Jalen Suggs - AVAILABLE (Left Knee Injury Recovery)
- Moe Wagner - OUT (Left Knee Injury Recovery)
Projected Lineups
Miami | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Davion Mitchell | PG | Jalen Suggs |
Norman Powell | SG | Desmond Bane |
Nikola Jovic | SF | Franz Wagner |
Jaime Jaquez | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Bam Adebayo | C | Wendell Carter |
Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat: Prediction
Our Record (Last Season): 51-37/45-43 ATS
The Orlando Magic have a different feel about them this season. There is an air of seriousness and purpose about them this season. They know what they are capable of and are eager to show the league that they can be a force in the title race.
Nobody is skipping steps though. The Magic know it has to start with the first game and continuing to build and grow. They know what it takes to get to the Playoffs and how to navigate the season. They want to get off to a hot start.
The Miami Heat will provide a challenge. This is an Erik Spoelstra team and it is the Heat. They will defend and be physical. But Miami lacks a lot of the offensive weapons and depth needed to handle a Magic team rolling on all cylinders.
If Orlando comes out blazing and confident, the team should be set up to start 1-0.