Miami, FL
Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat (January 21, 2024): 3 Things To Watch, Odds and Prediction
6P. 24-18. Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Sun. Magic Heat Matchup 01.21.24. 38. 110. Jan. 21, 2024. 22-20. Magic by 1 (O/U 215.5)
WATCH MAGIC-HEAT ON FUBO TV
FOLLOW LIVE: @OMAGICDAILY
Tickets: $49-$3,651 on StubHub
Season Series: Heat 115, Magic 106 in Orlando on Dec. 20; Heat 99, Magic 96 in Miami on Jan. 12; Tonight in Orlando; Feb. 6 in Miami
|
Pace |
Off. Rtg. |
Def. Rtg. |
eFG% |
O.Reb.% |
TO% |
FTR |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Miami |
97.8 |
113.8 |
113.0 |
53.9 |
27.1 |
13.7 |
27.8 |
|
Orlando |
99.1 |
112.2 |
111.5 |
52.9 |
30.2 |
14.8 |
30.2 |
Our Record: 27-15/22-20 ATS
Everyone has been asking the question and wondering when this Orlando Magic team would be healthy. There has been a fair amount of frustration with the Magic’s return to injury process as they insist on trying to get players into practices and test them physically before throwing them in. And that does not even get into the lineup and rotation questions.
But it does finally look like the Magic are going to be whole again. The injury report is the cleanest it has looked since November with only Franz Wagner (QUESTIONABLE, sprained ankle) and Gary Harris (OUT, calf strain) on the report.
That may alleviate some of the concerns of the Magic’s drop in the standings. Orlando has to start getting things into high gear as they are now closer to the 9-seed than the 4-seed for the first time in months. It is about keeping pace.
The Orlando Magic also have to get over the bugaboo of their rivals in the Miami Heat. They will see Jimmy Butler for the first time this season and the Heat will have all of their offensive weapons available with Tyler Herro probable to play and Duncan Robinson available to play.
This game will come down to the Magic’s depth, which should be returning to form now with Wagner likely to return and potentially a lineup change with it. And then it will come down to whether the Magic can limit the Heat’s free throw attempts and ability to shoot from deep.
108. 38. Prediction. 106. 110. Magic Heat Prediction 01.21.24
Franz Returns?
Orlando Magic fans have been waiting for some time for Franz Wagner to get back on the court. Ever since rolling his ankle against the Sacramento Kings back on Jan. 3, it has been a struggle for this team to get going as injuries and illness followed Wagner’s absence.
It should be safe to say that these past two weeks will be the lowest this team feels all season. Or at least that has to be hope.
Here are the numbers since Wagner’s injury (including that double-overtime loss against the Kings): The Magic went 3-6 with a 109.2 offensive rating and a 113.8 defensive rating. That -4.6 net rating was 23rd in the league during that time.
It was undoubtedly a difficult stretch for the Magic. We saw Paolo Banchero have to shoulder a lot more of the offensive burden and carry the team offensively. It has been a struggle even if Banchero has grown tremendously.
But no doubt, the Magic are missing Wagner’s 20.9 points per game. The team will function better on both ends with Wagner on the floor.
Heat Seeking Depth
It is weird to think the Miami Heat are not a super deep team. They seem to pluck guys from relative obscurity. But ever since their gutsy win over the Orlando Magic a few weeks ago at Kaseya Center, the Miami Heat have struggled. Miami is just 2-2 and that includes going 1-2 since Jimmy Butler’s return from a toe injury.
Some of that has to do with injuries. Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was so critical in both of Miami’s wins over Orlando, will be OUT for Sunday’s game with a left groin strain. He scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the game a few weeks ago in Miami with the Heat down a lot of injured players too.
So far this season, Miami is 11th in the league scoring 37.3 points per game off the bench. They have lost a lot of games from teams being able to outpace them on the bench. The Magic have the fourth highest-scoring bench in the league. And getting back their depth will only help restore this team.
Free Throw Shortage
A big part of the Orlando Magic’s attack is to win the battle at the free throw line — both getting to the line and defending without fouling. And this is undoubtedly an area that the team has struggled since Franz Wagner went out — not that Wagner gets to theline a ton, but he puts pressure on teams and gets them out of position to force fouls.
The Magic are second in the league with a 30.2 percent free throw rate (essentially three free throws for every 10 field goal attempts). But since Wagner’s injury, the Magic have a 27.5 percent free throw rate. That is a significant slip considering how small the margins are for the Magic to score.
The worst part is how the defense has slipped.
Next. OMD Mailbag 01.21.24. OMD Mailbag: Looking past the midpoint of the season. dark
The Magic have given up a 28.2 percent free throw rate this season (again highlighting why the Magic need to get to the foul line). The Heat are good at getting to the foul line and a lot of this game will get determined on who can force their way to the line more.
Miami, FL
Cain, Kushner launch South Florida JV with plans for Edgewater rental tower
Cain and Kushner are launching a South Florida real estate joint venture, planning a luxury apartment tower in Edgewater for their first project, The Real Deal has learned.
London-based Cain, led by Jonathan Goldstein, and New York-based Kushner, led by Laurent Morali and Nicole Kushner Meyer, plan a 40-story, 364-unit project on Cain’s 1.5-acre site at 614 and 720 Northeast 27th Street in Miami, according to a news release. The property is near the Missoni Baia condo tower that Cain co-developed with Vlad Doronin’s OKO Group.
BDT & MSD Partners provided a $42 million loan for the project, which is in the pre-development phase. Construction is expected to start late next year, the release says.
The Cain-Kushner JV is targeting residential and mixed-use investments and developments in the tri-county region.
“We are looking at all opportunities that we think are sensible,” Goldstein said.
Their South Florida JV comes as the region is experiencing another influx of out-of-staters after the pandemic-era boom, only this time the in-migration is primarily of wealthy individuals and their companies amid the blue-to-red-state migration.
Yet, Cain and Kushner’s plans for Edgewater apartments come as the multifamily market has softened due to hefty deliveries in recent years. A record 18,600 units were completed in 2024, outpacing leasing that year by about 20 percent, CoStar Group data shows. Although construction starts have slowed, last year’s 12,718 unit completions still surpassed total leasing for the year by about 1,000 apartments.
It has led to slower lease-ups, more concessions and a drop in the average asking rents across South Florida.
Developers starting projects now have said demand will catch up by the time they finish their buildings, with many adding that South Florida remains a strong apartment market. Many are betting on luxury rentals, which CoStar’s data showed made up the bulk of leasing in recent years.
“We are big believers in South Florida and big believers in Miami,” Goldstein said.
Cain, backed by Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries, has been investing in South Florida for nearly a decade, with the JV in some ways marking its second chapter in the region.
Cain’s most recent project is the Delano Miami Beach renovation. The hotel, which closed in 2020, is expected to reopen in time for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix early next month.
Aside from the Missoni Baia condo tower, Cain also partnered with OKO on the Una Residences condo tower in Brickell and the 57-story 830 Brickell office tower. The office building was completed in 2024 fully pre-leased, catching a demand surge during the pandemic-era in-migration of out-of-state companies to Miami. Cain also is an investor in Doronin’s hospitality firm Aman Group.
Kushner has a presence in Miami’s Edgewater, completing the 37-story, 420-unit apartment tower at 2000 Biscayne Boulevard in 2024, with plans for more residential development next-door at 1900 Biscayne Boulevard. It also purchased the 276-unit Hamilton apartment building at 555 Northeast 34th Street from Aimco.
Elsewhere, Kushner plans a 932-unit multifamily development at 300 West Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. It borrowed a $115 million construction loan last year for a luxury 68-unit apartment project in Surfside. And it scored approval in October for a 470-unit rental building and synagogue development near Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Cain scores $4B financing for One Beverly Hills megaproject
Development
South Florida
Natiivo Fort Lauderdale site heads to auction after $26M foreclosure judgment
Development
South Florida
Cain’s Jonathan Goldstein on his next Miami project, the branded condo bandwagon and Brickell’s office market
Read more
Miami, FL
May a steadying presence as Cards hold off Marlins in Miami
The right-hander consistently set the tone early, either landing a first-pitch strike or inducing a foul
Miami, FL
Ranking the Miami Heat’s Top Trade Targets
The Miami Heat are heading into another crucial offseason, and they MUST make changes. This team has been mediocre for the past few seasons and has been stuck in the Play-in Tournament. The Heat can’t currently compete with the way the roster is constructed. They need to trade for a star who can lead this team, and if a star becomes available, Miami will be involved. The real question is which direction actually makes the most sense.
The Heat could go after three potential targets this summer: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Donovan Mitchell. Who should Miami target? Let’s stack rank them based on fit, risk, and potential.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Only Move That Changes Everything
The Miami Heat need to go all-in for Giannis. This is a trade that would completely reshape the franchise. Giannnis could potentially turn the Heat into a contender overnight. Even with his recent injury cutting his season short, nothing about his overall impact has changed. He still bends defenses in a way very few players can. Teams build entire game plans around simply trying to slow him down, and most of the time, it doesn’t work.
The Miami Heat have desperately needed a true superstar who can take over games late in crunch time. The Heat have been relying on undrafted players and role players to create and execute their offense. Giannis flips that instantly by creating advantages on his own, possession after possession.
I think the most interesting part will be pairing Giannis with Bam Adebayo. They would automatically become the best defensive frontcourt duo in the NBA. Giannis and Bam could both guard 1-5, and their switchability and rim protection would be elite. Offensively, Bam’s versatility allows Giannis to stay aggressive without needing to adjust his game too much.
The risk is obvious. Injuries have started to creep into the conversation, and committing everything to one player always carries weight. Still, Miami has never been a franchise that plays it safe. If Giannis is available, the conversation starts and ends there.
2. Donovan Mitchell: The Cleanest Basketball Fit
If Giannis is the bold swing, Mitchell is the move that makes the most basketball sense from top to bottom. At this stage of his career, Donovan Mitchell knows exactly who he is as a player. He can control tempo, create offense in isolation, and take over stretches of games when things stall out and that is something Miami has struggled with consistently.
This is less about transforming the roster and more about fixing a specific problem. The Heat have lacked a reliable perimeter engine. Mitchell fills that gap immediately. What makes him especially appealing is how easily he fits into different lineups. He doesn’t need the ball every possession to be effective, but he can handle that role when needed. That flexibility matters on a team that values structure as much as Miami does.
There’s also a timeline advantage here. Mitchell is younger than the other options and doesn’t come with the same long-term durability concerns. He gives Miami a clearer runway to build around, rather than a shorter window that demands immediate results. He may not bring the same overwhelming presence as Giannis, but he raises the overall level of the team in a way that feels sustainable.
3. Kawhi Leonard: Elite Talent With Too Many Variables
When Kawhi Leonard is available and healthy, he’s still one of the most controlled and efficient players in the league. His season with the Los Angeles Clippers was a reminder of that. Playing 65 games was a big step, and when he was on the floor, he looked like himself, methodical, physical, and impossible to speed up. From a pure basketball standpoint, he fits Miami’s identity. He defends, doesn’t force offense, and thrives in structured environments.
The hesitation comes from everything outside of that. Kawhi’s availability has been unpredictable for years, and even in seasons where he plays a high number of games, there’s always uncertainty about how things will hold up deep into a playoff run. Age adds another layer. Miami wouldn’t just be trading for a player; they’d be betting on a timeline that may already be shrinking. There’s no denying the upside. A healthy Kawhi still moves the needle in a big way. It’s just harder to justify that gamble compared to the other two options.
Final Take
Each path offers something different. Giannis is the all-in swing that could put Miami back in the championship conversation overnight. Mitchell is the calculated move that stabilizes the offense and fits long-term. Kawhi is the wildcard, still elite, but with more uncertainty than the Heat can comfortably ignore.
If Miami is serious about breaking out of the middle, they need to pick a direction and commit fully. Giannis is the dream, Mitchell is the smartest bet, and Kawhi is the toughest sell.
Follow
-
Lifestyle4 minutes agoShe built a following of plus-size customers. Why is she closing her L.A. resale shop?
-
Politics10 minutes agoAs primary election nears, top candidates for California governor debate tonight
-
Science16 minutes ago44% of Americans breathe dangerously polluted air. In California, it’s 82%
-
Sports22 minutes agoKings’ close playoff losses to Avalanche stoke confidence and frustration
-
World34 minutes ago‘Blockade and threats’: Iran blames US siege of ports for stalled talks
-
News1 hour agoPentagon says Navy secretary is leaving, the latest departure of a top defense leader
-
New York3 hours agoGunman Who Killed Baby in Brooklyn Was Targeting Her Father, Police Say
-
Detroit, MI3 hours ago
How these Detroit farmers are fighting for neighborhood food security