Can Miami gain a half-game on the Nets?
The Miami Heat will look to ride their momentum roughly 230 miles up north against the Orlando Magic on Saturday, March 11.
The Heat have won their of their last four games, including a 119-115 second-half comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday after trailing by 14 with over three minutes left in the third quarter.
Jimmy Butler was remarkable, pouring on 33 points — 12 in the final quarter — on a very efficient 12-of-16 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Tyler Herro played an integral part in their comeback, too, finishing with 25 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, adding nine rebounds and four assists. Bam Adebayo finished with 19 points and six boards in 37 minutes.
The Magic have lost three straight and four of their last five — their most-recent being a 131-124 loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday, despite Poalo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Markelle Fultz recording 20-plus points on good efficiency.
As it currently stands, the Heat are the No. 6 in the seed in the East — 1.5 games ahead of the Altanta Hawks and 2.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets do not play on Saturday, but Atlanta do, also on the second night of a back-to-back against the Boston Celtics — so winning Saturday will be important.
The Heat have won their previous two meetings against the Magic this season.
INACTIVE/INJURIES:
MIAMI:
Not submitted at time of publishing.
ORLANDO:
- Kevon Harris (G-League) — OUT
- Jonathan Isaac (Adductor) — OUT
PROJECTED STARTING 5:
BROADCAST INFO:
Tipoff: 7:00 PM EST
TV: Bally Sports Sun, NBA League Pass
RADIO: WQAM 560 & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
SPANISH RADIO: WAQI 710AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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