Looking to end a three-game skid, the injury-ravaged Orlando Magic continue a seven-game homestand on Saturday, hosting their in-state rivals, the Miami Heat.
The Heat, playing the second leg of a back-to-back set, arrive in Orlando on a two-game losing streak after falling 104-97 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Miami had previously won a season-high four straight before losing 125-124 in overtime at Detroit on Monday and then experiencing the Friday setback.
Friday’s loss was particularly rough for Miami as Jimmy Butler exited after playing fewer than eight minutes due to a stomach illness. Bam Adebayo also temporarily left the game in the second half to receive seven stitches for a cut above his left eyebrow, but he returned to finish with 17 points and 10 rebounds—his fifth double-double in the past six games.
Adebayo is averaging 16.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game and is a key figure in Miami’s defense, which ranks sixth in the league in points allowed per game (109.5). Orlando’s defense is even stingier, holding opponents to 103.6 points per game, the second-best mark in the NBA.
Offense has been the primary issue for the Magic during their current slide.
Orlando opened its longest homestand of the season on Sunday with a 100-91 loss to the New York Knicks. This was followed by a 114-109 defeat in the NBA Cup play on Dec. 10 at Milwaukee, and a 105-99 setback against Oklahoma City on Thursday. All these games were played without Franz Wagner, who averages 24.4 points per game.
Wagner was on a hot streak, scoring 30-plus points in three straight games before suffering a right oblique tear on Dec. 6. In the four games without him, the Magic have averaged 103.5 points per contest.
The Magic also saw guard Jalen Suggs leave the Thursday game with a sprained ankle. Suggs briefly returned in the second half before exiting for good.
Additionally, the Magic have been without Paolo Banchero, who was averaging 29 points per game when he last played on Oct. 30. Banchero is progressing toward a return from his own oblique injury, according to coach Jamahl Mosley.
In the meantime, the Magic are searching for offensive answers. Suggs, who scored 32 points against Milwaukee, has managed just nine points in each of the past two games. He is listed as probable for Saturday.
Anthony Black came off the Orlando bench to score a season-high 23 points on Thursday, raising his season average to 8.7 points per game.
