The Orlando Magic wrapped up their preseason with a 136-115 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night at Kia Center, but the final tune-up came with a few worries attached.
Three rotation-caliber players left the game with injuries: Noah Penda went out in the first half with a hamstring injury, Jase Richardson exited with back soreness, and Franz Wagner left in the second half with right arm soreness. The team has not said whether any of those issues are serious. Anthony Black was already out for the entire preseason because of an ankle injury.
That’s the part of preseason nobody wants. The minutes are useful, the ramp-up matters - and then the soft tissue issues start stacking up.
All three of the players who left Friday were expected to be in Orlando’s rotation to begin the season. Jamal Cain, meanwhile, strengthened his case across the four preseason games, and Tristan da Silva could be pushed into the starting lineup if Wagner misses time.
On the court, the clearest positive for Orlando was pace. The Magic came into the night sitting in the bottom half of the league in tempo, with the second-fewest fastbreak points per 100 possessions and the sixth-fewest points-off-turnovers. Against Miami, they looked far more dangerous when they pushed.
Orlando beat the Heat 18-8 in fastbreak points and 21-15 in points off turnovers, and the attack was at its best when Miami was scrambling in retreat. Those situations opened the floor for clean 3-point looks, and Orlando cashed in. Desmond Bane hit 7 of 12 from deep, while Jalen Suggs, da Silva and Cain all knocked down multiple threes.
That’s the formula Orlando has to keep chasing if it wants to climb into the league’s better offenses. In a crowded Eastern Conference, the Magic need to win those easy-possession battles consistently, because teams like the Toronto Raptors and Heat will be ready to punish any slippage.
There was also a reminder of what Nikola Vucevic can still give them. The 36-year-old scored 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes. He missed all three of his 3-pointers, but all five of his baskets came in the paint, where he finished off dump-offs and took advantage of a defense that was constantly rotating.
Nikola Vucevic PNR floater off the Jalen Suggs assist pic.twitter.com/iuzIdKXe4i
The defense remains the same concern it has always been with Vucevic, but his scoring touch is still there. He’s not likely to put up a 13-point first half like he did Friday, yet even a smaller version of that rim-running presence would matter for chemistry with Suggs, Richardson and Black.
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For Miami, the debate is bigger than one comment from a former coach. Adebayos offensive role has always invited scrutiny because of the way he scores and the way the Heat ask him to operate, and Van Gundys remarks also touched on some of the teams broader questions, from Davion Mitchells fit at point guard to the defensive tradeoffs that could come with Miamis new three-point shooters. It leaves the Heat in the same place it often finds itself, trying to balance the value of its structure with the questions that come when outside voices challenge the ceiling of its most important players. [Read more 🡒]