NBA Game Preview - Miami at Orlando

Sat Feb 1, 2020 7:00 PM EST

The Orlando Magic, losers of four straight games, have been off since their 113-92 loss at the Miami Heat on Monday.

Next up for the Magic: The Heat, again, on Saturday night, but this time in Orlando, Fla.

Suffice to say that the Magic are frustrated with how they're playing, especially on defense. Orlando coach Steve Clifford was particularly upset with six fouls committed by his players in the past two games on opposing jump shooters.

"It's like junior high," Clifford said. "It's unprofessional. I coached high school, and I would crush those guys if they fouled a jump shooter.

"We've got pro guys making millions of dollars, and we just fouled jump shooters six times in two nights. It's crazy. It shows a complete lack of understanding of what wins in this league. If we want to be a playoff team, we should play the rest of the season and not have six of those."

The Magic have the second-worst offense in the league, but Orlando prides itself on defense, which ranks first at 104.7 points allowed per game. However, Orlando has allowed 110.9 points in its past nine games, going 3-6 during that span.

Miami's offense, which averages 112.0 points per game, should provide a good test for a rested and, potentially, hyped up Magic defense.

Jimmy Butler, a 6-7, 230-pound wing forward who plays more like a point guard, leads Miami in scoring (20.2), assists (6.4) and steals (1.8).

Heat center Bam Adebayo, who is in his third season in the league but first as a full-time starter, has made a big leap by averaging a double-double (16.0 points, 10.4 rebounds). He is also one of the better passing centers in the league and he is third on the team in assists (4.7). He was honored with an All-Star Game nod.

"I'm really excited; first time All-Star," Adebayo said in a video posted to the team website immediately after learning of his All-Star nod. "It's great to be around my family and get to have this moment with them. I'm really excited about it."

A concern for Miami is the foot injury that has kept rookie guard Kendrick Nunn out of the lineup for three straight games. Nunn is second on the team in scoring (16.2) and fifth in assists (3.5). It's possible Nunn returns on Saturday.

Four players have been ruled out for Saturday, including Miami point forward Justise Winslow (back). The other three are members of the Magic, and all of them have knee injuries: point guard D.J. Augustin, starting forward Al-Farouq Aminu and 2017 first-round pick Jonathan Isaac.

Orlando's leading scorers are 6-7 wing Evan Fournier (18.8) and 6-11 center Nikola Vucevic (18.6). Vucevic also leads the team in rebounds (11.0).

Terrence Ross, a 6-6 wing who has yet to start a game this season, is the leader of the bench brigade with a 13.4 scoring average. Aaron Gordon, a 6-8 power forward has averaged 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds.

The Heat, one of the best home teams in the league this season with a 21-3 record, has struggled on the road (11-12). Orlando is 13-11 at home and 9-5 against the Heat overall going back to the 2016-17 season.

The Heat, coming off a 109-101 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, have lost two of its last three games, with both defeats coming at home.

--Field Level Media