Miami, FL
Magic-Heat Game Preview: Orlando Set to Open 24-25 Slate at Miami – Injury Report, TV Info
MIAMI – For the Orlando Magic, the 2024-25 NBA regular season opens right away against a fierce rival.
The Magic visits its Floridian neighbor on Wednesday night, making the short trip down to Miami to battle the Heat in a Southeast division showdown.
One game separated the Magic and Heat in the 2023-24 East standings, enough to be the difference in a guaranteed playoff spot and having to earn a first round appearance through the Play-In Tournament. But Wednesday’s contest wipes the slate clean, being the first step in Orlando’s 82-game run to defend the franchise’s seventh-ever division crown. The Magic are striving for new heights this year, and with preseason in the rearview mirror for good, Orlando is eager for the games to start counting for real.
Not just because its against one of the team’s deepest rivals. But simply because Miami wears a different color jersey than their own.
“How exciting to get to go down to Miami game one, right down the road, with a team that we know is going to give us a challenge both mentally and physically,” guard Jalen Suggs said, fresh off his contract extension with the team a day earlier. “Really excited to… start playing real, meaningful games, Not that the preseason ones weren’t, but it’s different. These ones count. You can’t get them back.”
“Everybody’s excited to get the season underway,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said at Tuesday’s practice, the final one before his team hit the tarmac. “It’s about time.”
Orlando’s group hitting the floor Wednesday night will look similar to years past. The reason? The Magic’s continuity has bred more success the longer they’ve been together, and calculated external additions have come together on a basis of need.
That’s why this group feels it’s afforded the ability to dream bigger and aim higher in the grand scheme of the Eastern Conference. As a collective, the same core has carried the Magic from nobody to somebody in the league’s big picture in quick succession. But Orlando doesn’t want just a cup of coffee with the league’s elites – they feel they’ve earned a seat at the table.
“I think we’re prepared,” forward Franz Wagner said. “I think obviously with more years of playing together, I think we’re further ahead than the last couple of years.”
The Magic left it to the end before securing a spot in the playoffs last year, defeating Milwaukee to earn the fifth seed on the regular season’s final day. Upon reflection, that’s a spot Suggs said Tuesday that Orlando felt it “really didn’t have to be in.”
Given how they’re approaching this year and considering the additional seasoning the Magic have together, sustaining the string of success or, better yet, improving upon it is a real possibility Orlando can foresee playing out.
At least, that’s what indications throughout training camp told Mosley.
“I keep going back to how well they’re communicating with each other,” Mosley said. “Knowing the ups and downs and what’s going to happen throughout the season, they’ve communicated a lot of that already.
“I think that’s been the biggest point for these guys. Knowing exactly what we’re facing and how we have to go about it and how we’ll approach it with a mindset of believing what we’re capable of doing, and then stepping on the floor every night and proving it.”
Orlando’s road start is a taste of what’s to come early in the year. The Magic, among the NBA’s strongest groups at home while experiencing their fair share of struggles away from Orlando last year, play the role of visitor in 16 of its first 26 games this season. To make those aspirations come true of exceeding last year’s high marks, they’ll have to overcome the latter at a higher success rate.
“Getting off to the right start is something that we’ve spoke about, something that we believe in,” Suggs said. “Everybody’s mind is fully focused on the game and getting this thing rolling.”
Orlando Magic
No injuries to report.
Miami Heat
Josh Richardson: OUT (illness/left heel)
Who: Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat
When: Wednesday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida
Latest Line: Miami minus-2, o/u 208.5
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An investigation is underway at a northwest Miami-Dade apartment complex after the sheriff’s office said a man was shot by his girlfriend after a “heated dispute” early Wednesday morning.
Few details have been released, but the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the incident took place at an apartment complex located off Northwest 7th Avenue.
The sheriff’s office said that a man became involved in a “heated dispute” with his girlfriend, and she shot him in the right arm.
He was rushed to a hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in critical condition.
The woman is in custody.
The identities of those who were involved have not yet been released.
No other information was available.
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Mar. 3, 7:30 p.m. EST, Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun, YES Network (Brooklyn)
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM (Brooklyn)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (32-29) and Brooklyn Nets (15-45) meet for the second of three regular season matchups. Earlier this season, Miami recorded a, 106-95, win in Brooklyn on December 18 and has now won four of the last five overall against the Nets.
It also marks the first of consecutive games against Brooklyn with the teams facing each other again on Thursday. The Heat are 83-61 all-time versus the Nets during the regular season, including 44-26 in home games and 39-35 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Pelle Larsson
F Andrew Wiggins
NETS
G Nolan Traore
G Terance Mann
C Nic Claxton
F Michael Porter Jr.
F Noah Clowney
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Davion Mitchell: Questionable – Shoulder
Norman Powell: Out – Groin
Nikola Jovic: Out – Back
Trevor Keels: Available – G League
Jahmir Young: Available – G League
Vlad Goldin: Available – G League
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
NETS
Nic Claxton: Probable – Thumb
Egor Demin: Out – Foot
QUOTABLE
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “Regardless of the scheme is, I always go back to that, it’s just about committing to doing hard things. We were really moving in the zone, taking away airspace and scrambling to challenge shots at the rim. In a lot of these losses in the last month we’ve just been giving up shots at the rim and threes.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
ORLANDO, Fla. — Lionel Messi scored twice in a four-goal second half, defender Telasco Segovia added a goal and two assists and defending champion Inter Miami CF rallied to beat Orlando City SC 4-2 on Sunday night, winning for the first time at Inter&Co Stadium.
Messi took a pass from Segovia and scored in the 57th minute to tie it 2-2, and Segovia scored unassisted in the 85th for the lead. Messi put the finishing touch on the victory when he scored off a free kick in the 90th.
“The victory belongs exclusively to the players,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. “In the second half, they were a championship team. There were no tactics, nothing like that. There was heart, courage, possession, resilience, commitment. I think the team came out because they were champions last year.
“In the end, the players showed it. This victory is theirs.”
Messi’s first two goals of the season give him 52 in his first 55 regular-season MLS matches — 51 of them in his past 49 appearances. It also brought the reigning MLS MVP to 898 career goals scored, including 672 for Barcelona and 115 for Argentina.
“He’s the best player to ever play this sport. He’s a leader, and as a leader, he inspires others, but he also often needs to be inspired himself,” Mascherano said of Messi. “When he was driving forward, he had more attacking options, and with so many opportunities, he clearly has the ability to create chances like no one else, and that’s what allowed us to turn the game around.”
Marco Pašalić took a pass from Iván Angulo and scored in the 18th minute to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. Pašalić has scored in four straight matches against Inter Miami.
Defender Griffin Dorsey set up Martín Ojeda for a goal six minutes later for a 2-0 advantage that stood through halftime.
Inter Miami cut it to 2-1 four minutes into the second half on Mateo Silvetti’s first career goal. Defenders Segovia and Facundo Mura had assists as the 20-year-old forward found the net in his fifth career appearance.
Segovia had eight goals and six assists as a rookie last season, while Mura collected his first assist in his first season.
Dayne St. Clair, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, turned away three shots — all in the second half of his second start with Inter Miami, but let in a soft goal for Orlando’s first.
Maxime Crépeau had four saves in his second start for Orlando City.
Teenager Colin Guske, 19, will miss Orlando City’s next match after the rookie picked up two yellow cards in his first start — the second one led to his exit in the 88th minute.
Inter Miami, which had never won in its previous nine trips to Orlando, was coming off a 3-0 road loss to LAFC.
Orlando City swept Inter Miami during the regular season last year and leads the all-time series 8-7-4.
Inter Miami plays D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field. Orlando City is also on the road with a match against New York City FC.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.
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