The NBA Preseason is upon us, and it’s time for teams to get their first honest look at their rosters. Both the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat have their first preseason action on Saturday, and it’s a chance for new faces to coalesce in the lineup before the real action starts.
The Magic are set as five-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -192 on the Moneyline, while the Heat are +160 underdogs. The total for this game is set at 210.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction, and pick for this Heat vs. Magic preseason game.
Heat vs. Magic prediction, preview
The name of the game in preseason is health. In that equation, the Orlando Magic have a definite advantage. They have some holdover injuries from last season in Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner, who are unlikely to play. Their rookies, Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, are questionable and unlikely to play. But that’s relatively clean compared to the Heat.
Tyler Herro is expected to be out for at least a month, possibly longer, due to a foot injury. They’ll also be without Terry Rozier, Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis on Saturday. It leaves their guard room awfully barren for this contest.
They’ll still have key contributors in the lineup like Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins, but that’s not much when you’re going up against Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and the newly acquired Desmond Bane. This Heat defense will be hard-pressed to stop a revamped Magic attack while their best offensive player, Herro, isn’t there to put pressure on Orlando’s elite defense.
Heat vs. Magic pick, best bet
Even when fully healthy, the Magic are the better team on paper. With the Heat missing all of their key guards, this matchup is even more imbalanced. Orlando is going to roll through this first preseason game and set a good tone for the season.
