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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The full 2026 NFL schedule was released on Thursday night — including dates and times for all 17 regular season Miami Dolphins games. However, following that release, the NFL also released preseason schedules for all teams — and a familiar face will be returning to Miami to face-off against the team that made him the #5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was released by the Dolphins this offseason, but quickly found a new home in Atlanta with the Falcons. During the final week of preseason action, Tagovailoa will be returning to South Florida when the Falcons play the Dolphins on Friday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
It is not uncommon for NFL teams to practice against each other for a few days leading up to a preseason showdown, so Tagovailoa may find himself on familiar ground for longer than one game if the Dolphins and Falcons choose to mix it up in Miami Gardens ahead of their Week 3 preseason tilt.
Of course, plenty of teams rest starters during the final week of the preseason, so Tagovailoa may not actually end up seeing the playing field when the game kicks off, but seeing the former first-rounder on the sidelines again in Miami — albeit on the visiting sideline this time around — will be a peculiar sight nonetheless.
We will continue to keep you updated on all things Miami Dolphins as the march towards the preseason — and regular season — continues on through the summer.
A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida over a land giveaway for his proposed presidential library.
Almost three acres of prime waterfront land that once belonged to Miami Dade College (MDC) was illegally gifted to the US president by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the lawsuit states.
It cites the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution that prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal gain, profit or advantage from their position.
The action was brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Washington DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) on behalf of plaintiffs including an MDC student, a Miami non-profit, and residents, who state the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami”.
Instead, the filing states, “the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President”.
Plans for the “gaudy” project were unveiled in March, to be built next to Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the historical landmark and community art museum. A giant golden statue of the president will stand before a 50-story tower block that will feature the controversial $400m Boeing “flying palace” jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar, but not yet in service, in its cavernous lobby.
At the time, Trump said the building was “most likely going to be a hotel”.
The land on which it will sit, the lawsuit said, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the CAC said in a statement.
The library has already been the subject of one lawsuit that claimed MDC trustees, most of them handpicked by DeSantis, erred by originally handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting with no public discussion.
The board held a do-over in December, and voted unanimously to proceed with the transfer.
The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office for comment.
To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.
A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.
A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.
FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.
Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.
Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.
Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.
After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.
Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.
Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.
Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.
FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.
It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.
Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.
Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.
In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.
Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.
First half highlights
Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.
He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.
In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.
In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.
The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.
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