Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Keep Same Starting Lineup Vs. Orlando Magic

Shandel Richardson

Dec 20, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts to a call by Oklahoma City Thunder referee Mark Lindsay (29) against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Dec 20, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts to a call by Oklahoma City Thunder referee Mark Lindsay (29) against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
In this story:

Playing without Jimmy Butler a second straight game, the Miami Heat are going with the same starting lineup.

The starters are: Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez.

Here's the game preview:

Game time: 7 p.m., Kia Center, Orlando


TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Betting line: Heat +1.5

VITALS: The Heat and Magic meet for the third of four regular season matchups. So far this season, Orlando has won both matchups, but has lost the season series to the Heat the past five straight seasons. The HEAT are 79-61 all-time versus the Magic during the regular season, including 44-25 in home games and 35-36 in road games.


PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Duncan Robinson

G Tyler Herro

C Bam Adebayo

F Haywood Highsmith

F Jaime Jaquez

MAGIC

F Tristan da Silva

F Trevelin Queen

C Goga Bitadze

G Jalen Suggs

G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

INJUY REPORT

HEAT

Jimmy Butler: Out - conditioning

Terry Rozier: Questionable - knee

Dru Smith: Out - Achilles

Josh Richardson: Out - Heel

MAGIC

Paolo Banchero: Out - Oblique

Gary Harris: Questionable - hamstring

Mac McClung: Out - G League

Franz Wagner: Out - Oblique

Moritz Wagner: Out - Knee

QUOTABLE

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on blowing a 25-point lead in the previous loss to the Magic: "We had to address it first. If you just brush it under the rug, it was a tough loss. Those are the ones that hit you in the gut hard. There's a lesson to be learned in that. You have a rough fourth quarter. I've watched it several times. I found different lessons each time."

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here