May the Force be with Orlando on Star Wars Night in the Amway Center. On Game Day 30 the Magic take on the evil empire of the Miami Heat! At this point the game is in serious doubt of going ahead.
The tip time is shown on the Orlando Magic website as being 12:00 midnight here in the UK (7pm Eastern for our friends in Orlando).
To watch the game live or on demand in the UK you will need an active NBA League Pass subscription. Never miss a game again and watch the entire 2021/22 season by subscribing to NBA League Pass.
The Match-Up For Game Day 30 – May The Force Be With Orlando
Last Games
Wednesday 15th December – Atlanta Hawks 111 – 99 Orlando Magic
Magic Top Performers – Moe Wagner led the Magic with 19 points from the bench. Terrence Ross continued his scoring run amidst trade rumours, just not from range. He notched 18 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, a block and a steal. RJ Hampton led the starting five with 15 points.
Wednesday 15th December – Miami Heat 101 – 96 Philadelphia 76ers
Heat Top Performers – Gabe Vincent led the Heat with 26 points. Duncan Robinson had 21 points, Kyle Lowry 14 points and PJ Tucker 12 points.
Season Records
Orlando’s record is now 5 wins and 24 losses. The Magic stay 14th in the Eastern Conference. Of the last 10 games played the Magic have won just the 1, whilst being on a 6 game losing streak. In fact for Orlando it is now 13 losses in 14 games. The home record stands at 2 wins of 11 games played, whilst on the road it is 3 wins in 18 played. In points per game the Magic score 101.3 whilst conceding 111.8. In offensive and defensive rankings Orlando remain at 28th.
The Miami Heat are 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 17-12 record. Of the last 10 games played the Heat have won 5. Their road record is standing at 9 wins of 17 played. Miami score an average of 106.9 points per game, whilst conceding just 103.8 (the 3rd least conceded in the NBA). Miami are 7th for offence and have the 10th best defensive ranking in the NBA.
Head-To-Head – The Miami Heat
The all time head-to-head record in the 127 regular season games played sees the Magic trailing by 56-71.
The teams have already met once this season, with Orlando losing by 90-107 on the road in Miami. Orlando fought but Miami led for most of the game.
Last season the teams met three times, Miami taking the series 2-1. Orlando took an opening night win in the Amway Center by 107-113. On Game Day 37 in Miami the Heat took a 103-111 win on the back of a big Jimmy Butler performance. The final meeting was on Game Day 39 on March 14th, seeing the Heat win by 102-97 in Orlando.
Season 2019-20 saw Orlando beaten 1-3 across the four meetings. Few Magic fans will forget the January 4th 2020 meeting in the Amway Center. Orlando won 85-105 which included a superb defensive performance, culminating in holding the Heat to just 6 points in the 4th quarter.
In the playoffs the teams have met over 5 games in 1997, Orlando losing 3-2 in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Our Opponents – The Miami Heat
Coach Eric Spoelstra has been at the Miami helm now since 2008. Under his exceptional coaching the team have known success and are showing why many tipped them to be in the finals conversation come season end.
At the time of writing ESPN list Miami as having some concerns. Former Magic favourite Victor Oladipo remains out with a long term quad injury. Bam Adebayo is out after surgery. Jimmy Butler and Markieff Morris are out with a back injuries. Caleb Martin is still under NBA COVID-19 protocols. Tyler Herro is day-to-day and questionable, as is Omer Yurtseven.
Last Game Starting Unit: Kyle Lowry (PG), Gabe Vincent (SG), PJ Tucker (PF), Duncan Robinson (SF), Dewayne Dedmon (C).
From the bench came Max Strus, KZ Okpala, Omer Yurtseven and Marcus Garrett.
The Orlando Magic Injury Report
Look away now if you are easily upset! ESPN does not make for good reading and throws serious doubt on how competitive the Magic can be across a back-to-back.
Cole Anthony is questionable for tonight with a sprained right ankle.
Mo Bamba sprained his right ankle in LA and despite not being listed on the injury report he missed the Atlanta game. He is listed as day-to-day.
Gary Harris was a late scratch from the Atlanta game with hamstring tightness. He is listed as day-to-day.
Terrence Ross has entered NBA protocols for COVID-19 and is out for the game.
RJ Hampton has entered NBA protocols for COVID-19 and is out for the game.
Moe Wagner has entered NBA protocols for COVID-19 and is out for the game.
Ignas Brazdeikis has entered NBA protocols for COVID-19 and is out for the game.
Markelle Fultz is still out. On Friday 10th December he went through his first full practice since the ACL injury in the left knee.
Jalen Suggs is out with a fractured right thumb. He will be out for “an extended period of time” and is to be reevaluated in the next week.
E’Twaun Moore remains out with a sprained left knee.
Michael Carter-Williams is out after surgery to remove a bone fragment and repair his left ankle ligament.
Jonathan Isaac continues to be out as he rehabilitates from a left knee ACL injury that saw him miss all of last season. He is said to be making great and steady progress, but is not yet cleared for contact.
The Magic Lineup On Game Day 30
The availability of Anthony, Bamba and Harris will have Coach Mosely pondering some line up changes again.
Last Game Starting Lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), RJ Hampton (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Chuma Okeke (PF), Wendell Carter Jr (C).
Bench Unit – Terrence Ross, Moe Wagner, Mychal Mulder, Robin Lopez and Ignas Brazdeikis.
Check Out Other Orlando Magic U.K. Content
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Some Final Thoughts On Game Day 30
Miami may have a lot of talent missing but they remain dangerous, just look at what they did to Philly whilst being short handed.
For Orlando injury will also certainly not help the desire to end the losing streak.
With so many absences it is difficult to look at the team’s statistics and be able to project them to the game. Many players are going to be asked to play out of position in both rosters. However neither coach will want to change their systems. Therefore expect Miami to pass the ball, to use the shot clock and to shoot the three at a high rate and with accuracy.
Let’s Go Magic!
