The Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat began their 2025-26 preseason action in Puerto Rico on Saturday night, with the Magic coming out on top, 126-118.
Miami entered Saturday without the majority of its guard rotation, led by Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell. The Magic were also without guard Jalen Suggs, still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and Franz Wagner, who rested after his extended EuroBasket journey in August.
Only one Heat starter — Jaime Jaquez Jr. — played more than 14 minutes. Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic led the way in the first unit. Wiggins scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor with a pair of triples, while Jovic had 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting with three rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes. In his first game with the Heat, Norman Powell had five points (14 minutes) while Bam Adebayo had seven points — all coming from the free-throw line in the first quarter.
In addition to Wiggins and Jovic, the Heat’s two best players, they got productive minutes from Simone Fontecchio, Keshad Johnson and Dru Smith, who moved excellently in his first game back since rupturing his achilles last December. Kel’el Ware wasn’t as impactful off the bench, albeit in just 17 minutes, but he still nearly posted a 10-point, nine-rebound double-double with one steal.
Miami’s regulars were very active defensively all night, limiting Orlando to just 34.8 percent shooting and 33.3 percent from 3-point range in the first half. Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva and Paolo Banchero were the best players on the floor over that span, but they did a good job generating myriad deflections and playing rock sound team defense when it was required.
The pedal came off the medal in the second half, where Jase Richardson, former Heat wing Jamal Cain and Reece Beekman helped claw the Magic back. There were moments from camp invites Jahmir Young, Trevor Keels, Myron Gardner and Ethan Thompson, but Miami ultimately wasn’t able to win on foreign soil.
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I’m very glad to see The Dragon around the team and mentoring Jakucionis and other young players. I was a Phoenix fan when Dragic came into the NBA and remember Nash mentoring him. Hopefully, at some point, he agrees to come on board as an assistant coach. The Heat can sure use him.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/the_dragon_is_now_a_mentor_for_the_miami_heat/s1_16619_42847267
Spo said they offered him some type of position, but he didn’t want to devote the amount of time necessary. Spo said they’re trying to work something out. He’s a really good influence on the young guys.
Pretty much an answer exactly as I have said and believe…
Q: They should have waited with the Nikola Jovic extension, but, hey, it’s their money to waste. – Culee.
A: A contract that locks in a player for the next five seasons at or below what will set up as the mid-level exception stands as a value deal as long as said player is a rotation player. For as many questions as there might be with Nikola Jovic, it is hard to fathom him simply falling out of the rotation. Now, the injury concerns are another story.
Spoelstra mic’d up at training camp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03MgGOLwOVo
Bam 0/5 might need to get some tips from his mvp girl Aja lol
happy for Dru. just good to know we have games already and a new season, fresh start for our beloved team. Go Heat!
Iliyan Lakhani is an idiot who covers the Clippers. His conclusion came after 14 minutes of playing time in a meaningless preseason game.
“It took just one game for Heat to regret Norman Powell trade with Clippers”
https://clipperholics.com/took-one-game-heat-regret-norman-powell-trade-clippers?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
Is he related to anyone we know? 🙃
Hmm? How about a hint. Rhymes with ___________?
Mack The Knife?
LMAO! 🙂
just salty coz their moron fo let go a good player.
Yup. Warriors are reportedly monitoring the Bam situation in Miami. Golden State is interested in trading for Bam, with a proposed deal including Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, and two future first-round picks sent to the Miami Heat. They also reportedly haven’t given up on getting Wiggins back.
Nope. Both Herro and Bam should be available for top players only. Bam and Wiggins for Curry maybe?
No, Steph is (almost) old enough to collect social security here, or you may call them government pension there.
Its a social security before pension, and a pension after pension around here.
Remains of good old times of socialism and communism, government is taking care of you from the cradle to the coffin.
I watched Curry playing this morning. Still top player. That trade would make Heat contender for a year or two. For sure a better option then KD.
He still may be a top player, but he is 37 and not getting any younger. I would rather this team focus on youth instead of obtaining him for picks and prospects. The team is going in the right direction.
It is going in the right direction, but Heat wont win a title with Bam and Herro. At some point a trade for a superstar should be executed, in a year at latest.
Jokic, SGA, Luka, Wemby, Greek, most likely wont be available. As not new stars like Cade, Banchero or Edwards.
Only players with flaws will be available. Elite , but old players like KD and Curry or Kawhi, or really good, but not elite players, like Mitchell, Mobley, KAT, JB, or injury proned players, like Ja, Zion, Tatum, Lillard.
Heat wont win anything without one of those mentioned above. From that list, I would take Curry despite his age, and then Kawhi, and Lillard after that. The rest are not good enough.
He is as much an idiot as you say. I’m not sure why, but some of the nba writers are amongst the worst I’ve ever seen. And, this same guy wrote an article lauding Powell as the perfect solution for replacing VanVleet only two weeks earlier.
These guys run out of stuff to write about so they make up bs stories as click bait. They should be writing douchebag conspiracy stories like the ones contained in magazines you see on display in supermarket check out lines.
The big thing, maybe pretty much the only thing you can take from that game last night, is that Dru Smith is going to be pretty good if he stays healthy.
There is more, like fast pace. I think we have players for that. Indy went far with that last year. But played really bad first 10 or 15 games.
Agree about Dru, but not the only thing imo. Wiggins looked good, Jovic with 10/3/2 in 12 minutes, Ware 10/9 in 17 minutes with 3 OR, Simone looks like a decent rotation player. Minuses were Jaquez, Powell off to slow start, Bam 0-5, and the rebounding bugaboo with a 22-12 deficit on offensive rebounds. You can’t win games if you keep giving the opponent second and third chances.
Test
Especially when those second and third chances are 3 pointers. Just like pace, Spo has to change the team’s mindset to improved rebounding in general and offensive rebounding in particular.
If you noticed, Magic players hung around to see if they could get offensive rebounds, Miami’s players didn’t. Heat also let 3-4 rebounds slip through their fingers, resulting in Orlando baskets.
One other thing, Ware was not nearly aggressive enough. There was one play where the Magic player went through Heat defenders and headed straight to the basket. Instead of quickly moving to front of basket to block the shot, Ware just stood there and watched him go up and dunk, unopposed. There’s no excuse for sheer lack of effort or laziness. None whatsoever!
Heat also let 3-4 rebounds slip through their fingers, resulting in Orlando baskets.
Yes, that was driving me crazy. Several of our guys got their hands on the ball, but somehow Orlando came away with it.
I know the exact play you mentioned. He was right in front of the basket and never stepped to the baseline to cut off the drive.
thanks for pointing that out regarding Ware ill write a formal complaint to Spo
Not a complaint. A statement of fact. In July 2025, Spoelstra publicly called out Ware during the NBA Summer League for his lack of “professionalism and consistency”. Spoelstra’s comments followed several lackluster performances by Ware, despite a strong rookie season. If Ware doesn’t pick up his intensity, consistency and professionalism, he may find himself in the dog house. Heat has a “no slackers” policy.
I dont think he will start this year. Nico will.