The Miami Heat are looking for a crucial bounce-back performance Sunday against the Orlando Magic Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. EST inside Kia Center in Orlando, Fla.
Miami’s dropped each of its last two games to the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, but can earn their fourth straight win and season series victory over their intrastate foe Sunday.
On Friday, after leading by four with 35.5 seconds left, Miami’s loss came at the hands of Dejounte Murray–who’s been linked to Miami in the rumor mill ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Murray knocked a go-ahead 3-pointer with two seconds left, spoiling Udonis Haslem’s jersey retirement night. The Heat couldn’t counterpunch in the final moments, as they could not get the final shot off as the buzzer sounded.
The Heat has lost three straight just twice this season. Orlando, meanwhile, is in a skid itself; it’s also lost two straight, five of its last six and seven of its last 10. It most recently lost by 15–124-109–to the Philadelphia 76ers Friday, getting outscored by 17 over the final three frames.
Miami, currently 24-18, tied with the Indiana Pacers for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, are two games ahead of the Magic (22-20) in the standings. It boasts the No. 20 offense and No. 10 defense, while Orlando has the NBA’s 24 offense and No. 5 offense.
Can the Heat clinch the season series over Orlando on Sunday? Only time will tell…
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- Jamal Cain (G-League) — OUT
- R.J. Hampton (G-League) — OUT
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. (groin) — DOUBTFUL
- Kevin Love (knee) — QUESTIONABLE
- Dru Smith (knee) — OUT
Orlando Magic:
- Gary Harris (calf) — OUT
- Franz Wagner (ankle) — QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starting 5:
Miami Heat:
- Tyler Herro, G
- Caleb Martin, G/F
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Nikola Jovic, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
Orlando Magic:
- Jalen Suggs, G
- Caleb Houston, G
- Franz Wagner, F
- Paolo Banchero, F
- Goga Bitadze, C
Betting Lines (at the time of this publishing):
- Spread: Heat -1
- O/U: 214.5
- Moneyline: Heat -112, Magic -104
Check out those lines and more at Fanduel Sportsbook!
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. EST
- TV: Bally Sports Sun
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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Redemption game? Maybe, but we need more then one.
If I was going to step outside of the unwritten rule to never show uncertainty before the game, I would reply, “Yes, redemption, but for who?”