Heat Relatively Healthy Entering Opener

The Miami Heat are only missing one key player for tonight’s season opener against the Orlando Magic.

Guard Josh Richardson will not play because of a foot injury.

Here’s the game preview:

Game time: 7:30 pm., ET

Where: Kaseya Center, Miami

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Betting line: Heat -1.5

VITALS: The Heat and Magic meet for the first of four matchups this season. Tonight marks the ninth time the Heat has opened a season against Orlando with the last opener between the teams in Miami happening back in 2002. Last season, the Heat won the series, 3-1, and has won
four of the last five overall. Miami is 79-59 all-time versus the Magic during the regular season, including 44-24 in home games and 35-35 in road games. This marks the first game with Pat Riley’s name on the court.

PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Terry Rozier

G Tyler Herro

C Bam Adebayo

F Jimmy Butler

F Nikola Jovic

MAGIC 

F Franz Wagner

F Paolo Banchero

C Draymond Green 

G Jalen Suggs

G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 

QUOTABLE

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on opening the season: “We’re just trying to get on the same page, put together a game that makes sense for our team. We’re not reinventing the game of basketball. We’re not reinventing it for us. These are supposed to be some subtle, and, hopefully, some-level-of-sophisticated improvements. But that’s really all it is. I just want our guys comfortable. I want them knowing how we’re going to play, what’s going to lead to winning, and get to that more consistently.”

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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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