Meet the Opponent: Heat Visit Skidding Magic; Suggs OUT

The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, Florida rivals and Southeast Division foes, square off Saturday night at the Kia Center. The Magic have lost three consecutive games.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Kaseya Center. / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic welcome the Miami Heat to downtown Orlando Saturday night. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET.

The Magic beat the Heat 116-97 on opening night two months ago, spoiling Miami's court-naming ceremony for Hall of Fame coach and executive Pat Riley. The rivals meet twice in a week as Orlando closes 2024 with a seven-game homestand.

After Thursday night's loss to the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the Magic are 17-12, fourth in the East. Miami, which lost to the Thunder on Friday night, is sixth in the conference at 13-12. This four-game season series is a pivotal for potential playoff seeding.

About the Heat

Leading Scorers

• Tyler Herro: 24.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 47.6 FG%, 41.3 3PT%
• Jimmy Butler: 19.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 55.2 FG%, 35.7 3PT%
• Bam Adebayo: 16.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 44.3 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
• Terry Rozier: 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 39.8 FG%, 35.0 3PT%
• Duncan Robinson: 11.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 42.2 FG%, 38.5 3PT%

Gameday Injury News to Watch

Butler left the Heat's game vs. OKC Friday with an illness and did not fly with the team to Orlando postgame, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported. Butler is listed as doubtful for Saturday's game.

Notable Numbers

• 12th net rating (11th offense, 10th defense)
• 112.2 points/game (16th)
• 53.5 eFG% (19th), 54.1 opp. eFG% (15th)
• .259 FTA rate (10th), .207 opp. FTA rate (.207)
• 13.3 TOV% (4th), 15.5 opp. TOV% (15.5)
• 97.68 pace (25th)
• 37.6 3PT% (10th)

Keys to the Game

Match the turnovers, three-point shooting numbers... to an extent

For the Magic, the key indicators for their offense can be simplified to a couple math questions.

1. Can they limit their turnovers?
2. Can they match their opponent's number of three-point makes?

The Magic defense turns opponents over at the league's third-highest rate (17.4% of possessions). But 15.6 percent of their own possessions end in a turnover, which is 21st in the NBA. In short, an offense that depends in part on points off turnovers must take care of the ball to capitalize on the defensive advantage.

Orlando is a poor distance-shooting team. The Magic are the NBA's worst three-point shooters by percentage (30.9) and third-worst in makes per game (11.5), but yet they're 14th in the NBA in attempts a game (37.2).

With Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black driving and kicking to open shooters, the Magic get quality looks from distance, but Orlando's league-low conversion rate means their task of keeping the three-point disparity in check is challenging each night.

To that end, the Heat rank 10th in 3-point percentage and typically convert 15 threes to the Magic's 12.

Orlando can't get killed with math.

Stay healthy

Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley may have saved Jalen Suggs from himself on Thursday. The guard left early in the second half with ankle issues, though the fourth-year guard clearly wanted to stay in the game.

Postgame, Mosley said that Orlando needs Suggs for the long haul. The Magic already are without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

That's roughly 60 points and 25 combined rebounds and assists that the Magic are missing every night. Losing Suggs would be devastating for a team treading water in the East until the stars return.

Suggs was downgraded to questionable following the team's shootaround ahead of Saturday's game. Gary Harris is also questionable with a left hamstring strain that's sidelined him for 10 consecutive contests.

6:30 p.m. Saturday update: Both Suggs (right ankle sprain) and Harris (left hamstring strain) are OUT for the Magic tonight vs. Miami.

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