Looking to solve their in-state rival for the first time this year, the Miami Heat host the Orlando Magic in a Southeast Division meeting on Wednesday.
The Heat have dropped the first three games of the season series against the Magic, each single-digit losses. Miami is also vying to create some separation between the two, as it sits a game ahead of Orlando for the No. 7 seed in the current Eastern Conference standings.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra’s team enters play following its only two-day stretch without a game in the month of January. The Heat went 3-2 in their recent five-game Western Conference road trip. After the brief break, Miami will play four games in five days, including three in a row against the Chicago Bulls due to a postponement on Jan. 8.
For Spoelstra, finishing the trip with victories over the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns proved the group’s toughness.
“It was a fun two games,” Spoelstra said. “That was a tough turnaround. I’m not making any excuses, but we got to bed at 6 a.m. and had two games in less than 22 hours. It’s fun. It’s fun to try and rally around that challenge. Oftentimes that could be a schedule-loss and everybody rallied around the opportunity. Hopefully it can lead to more momentum.”
The travel-weary Heat will enjoy the rare consecutive off-days.
“I’m sure everybody could use it, but the guys who will really need it the most are Norman (Powell), Bam (Adebayo) and Andrew (Wiggins),” Spoelstra said. “Probably Jaime (Jaquez Jr.) could use some extra time, as well. We’ll try to maximize that as much as possible.”
Powell’s 23.1 points per game lead Miami, while Adebayo adds 17.9 and Wiggins scores 15.7. The Heat were without Tyler Herro (21.9 ppg) for the road trip, as an MRI exam revealed a costochondral issue with his ribs. Herro has only appeared in 11 games this season and will be sidelined once more against the Magic.
Orlando is coming off back-to-back losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, matching a season-long with its fourth straight loss. A year after leading the league in scoring defense with an average of 105.5 points allowed per game, the Magic have regressed, surrendering 115.4 ppg this season.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley’s team has allowed 120.8 points per game in its four-game skid.
Compounding the lack of defense, the Magic have failed to reach the 100-point mark twice in their last three games.
“We just need to continue to stick with what we’ve been doing, because we’re getting open looks,” Mosley said. “That’s what we have to know. If we weren’t getting the looks we needed, then there’s something else we can look at.”
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero scored a season-high 37 points against Cleveland on Monday. The fourth-year forward has pulled his weight in January, averaging 24.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists since the calendar flipped to 2026.
“I thought he was ultra-aggressive demanding the ball (on Monday),” Mosley said. “His rebounding is the thing that we continue to challenge him to do and coming up with 10 tonight was big.”
Franz Wagner’s 22.2 ppg in an injury-plagued season leads Orlando. Wagner has missed the last three games with left ankle soreness and will sit out again Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
